Shortcomings Manifest
by DokturProfesur
Summary: The legacy of a devil; the failure of a goddess; and a quaint little world forced to suffer for that failure. When an unknown monster starts preying on man, beast, and even the youkai, everyone in Gensokyo will be forced to face the weakness of one, and the sins of others made manifest. This is more than just an incident, this is a reunion that has been a long time coming...
1. Advent of the Devil Spider

**Disclaimer: Anything you've ever read that happens to be tied to my account is a parody of popular fiction whose sole purpose is to entertain the innumerable masses I share the interwebs with. I gain nothing aside from improving my own literary prowess, and know that I have no intention to change that.**

_A few things you should be aware of before we begin._

_The story revolves around various members of the cast trying to put an end to an OC I made for the sole purpose of giving the girls something to wail on, but rest assured it does not have a single speaking line, does not fall in love with anyone, nor do we follow its perspective. If I break any of these rules you have permission to slap me, or flame me, whichever is more tangible._

_Youkai will die in this story._

_There will be no romance._

_I try to research Touhou lore as much as I can but I'm still capable of making some pretty stupid mistakes. Please PM me if you feel something is off, like spelling, something lore-wise, character-wise, anything like that._

_I have a ten-thousand words a chapter resolution, and I write terribly slow. So I apologize ahead of time about the incredibly long wait you may suffer assuming you like what you're about to read._

**If any of the things stated above bothers you, you might not enjoy this story.**

* * *

_"It's a simple job,"_ They said, _"Don't screw it up,"_ They said.

_"I'll take care of it,"_ She said, _"Nobody will get past me,"_ She said.

It couldn't get any more cut and dry; standing guard, playing bouncer, making sure nobody got into her employer's mansion. She was pretty damn good at it too, for the longest time nobody got past her, never before was there a more vigilant guardian.

However, when you don't really care for the job you've been stuck with since time immemorial, and when you have to put up with an insufferable woman named Sakuya, there comes a time when you just want to screw with the employers who for some reason haven't worked up the sense to replace you.

So it was that Hong Meiling -more colloquially known as China- suddenly got a reputation for sleeping on the job.

She'd wake up bright and early, shortly before the sun rose, made some coffee for herself (because gods know Sakuya wouldn't), lean against her wall, and eventually pass out due to boredom. There were times though where her fatigue was genuine, such as when she took the time to keep her martial arts skills sharp... not that anybody cared mind you.

Meiling let out a soft sigh as she reclined against the ancient brick wall that bordered the Scarlet Devil Mansion. There was a humanoid imprint in the brick that fit her profile perfectly, a testament to how long she'd been doing this. It was noon-time so by this point she'd begun to nod off, and nothing was happening as far as she knew.

A tanuki burst from the brush, panting heavily and frantically darting its head around. Meiling stared at the tiny dog with a wide-eyed look. The tanuki barked at the brush it had just emerged from, which emitted a low rumble in retort. The mammal slowly backed away as the brush rumbled loudly, then a swift black blur barreled into it, the creature was so fast Meiling could barely make out what it was. As swiftly as the creature struck it drug its prey into a nearby bush. The tanuki squealed loudly at its captor, and from the sound of things, or lack thereof, it was totally restrained. From the brush a lone arachnid leg rose above the clutter, brandishing a wicked blade on the end of it. It drove back down swiftly, silencing the tiny dog.

Meiling was still trying to process what had just happened before her. Tanuki, black spider, spider kills tanuki. That was both the long and short on what had just happened within that five second time frame. The bush, and by proxy the spider hissed menacingly when the gatekeeper took a single step forward. The creature's warning revealed that it was far more than a spider, sure spider youkai growled, spoke, the whole shebang, but they didn't waste their time with weak animals like tanuki. The spider-what-wasn't-really-a-spider scurried across the dirt path at a speed that rivaled a tengu, bee-lining back into the brush it chased the tanuki from. Part of her wanted to give chase, get a good look at the monster that hunted little raccoon dogs, but another part wanted to see its handiwork. Meiling settled for the far more tangible latter, kneeling down and parting the broken branches and stirred up leaves.

She stared wide-eyed at the sight. The tanuki was just... laying there, dead. The not-spider turned it into a hairless, withered husk. The dog's head had been utterly split open from the not-spider's bladed limb. The lone puncture wound in the skin was utterly seamless, clearly the creature had a very refined means of bringing down its prey. Still reeling from the shock, Meiling reached out to touch the corpse, almost in an attempt to deny that the body before her was real. Her hand snapped back when in came into contact with the dried out skin. Then it slowly crept back, lingering on the tanuki's visible ribs. Steeling herself the gatekeeper roughly grabbed the carcass and stared straight into the wound.

Meiling retched violently as she stared at the innards, or rather lack thereof. Every vein, every organ, every muscle, and every layer of fat was gone. Only bone remained within the body, "Perhaps..." The idea of taking the dead tanuki to Patchouli for a more in-depth analysis crossed her mind. The residents needed to be ready, just in case the black devil wanted a taste of more substantial prey. Hoisting the body over her shoulder, Meiling carried it through the iron gates of the mansion, eager to hear what Patchouli made of it. However by the time she made it to the first step of the porch she was impeded by the mansion's resident human.

"China," The silver-haired maid began sternly, "I don't know where you found that but I cannot allow you to bring it indoors. Remilia will throw a fit if she thinks its odor belongs to her old doll."

Meiling wasted no time before mustering a response, "First off its fresh as can be; second, I need to show it to Patchouli. I'm more concerned with what killed it anyway," She argued, "I mean, what does _this_ to a little tanuki?" Grinning wickedly she brandished the dog's wound and lack of innards to the maid, earning a gag from her.

"B-be that as it may," Sakuya began, trying to avoid looking directly into the carcass, "I must insist that you at least leave it _outside,_" She gestured to the wooden porch.

Meiling hoisted the body back over her shoulder, "I think we both know that dragging Patchouli out of that library, much less outside, is utterly impossible," She retorted tartly, "Therefore my best option is to take the body to her."

The maid finally let out a sigh, "Just deal with it before that thing starts to stink. I'm going to start burning the incense just in case, and if Remilia starts asking about that poor little doll I'll simply direct her to you," Sakuya leaned forward, her mouth mere centimeters from Meiling's ear, "_Do I make myself clear?_"

The gatekeeper let out an audible gulp, but remained stone-faced, "Of course, Sakuya," The maid withdrew and nodded before briskly strolling off, still mumbling about Remilia's dolly.

Meiling stuck her tongue out at the retreating Sakuya, and in an act of lightning retribution, said appendage was cut off. The gatekeeper screamed out of pure shock as she carelessly dropped the tanuki corpse in favor of catching her falling tongue. She stared as it faded into dust in her hands, and slowly she felt a new one begin to regenerate in her mouth. It hurt like hell, but Meiling was unaffected, far too used to the pain of regeneration.

"Any other rude gestures you'd like to make before I return to my duties?" Sakuya asked smugly.

The gatekeeper grumbled as she picked up her corpse, neglecting to respond to the maid. She watched as with a satisfied and amused smirk, Sakuya turned and went inside the mansion. Meiling waited until she deemed it that the accursed maid was safely out of earshot before she stuck her tongue out once more, "Uptight witch," The gatekeeper growled as she carried the body inside.

To describe the Patchy Cave in less than five words was -and always will be- impossible, something more grandiose would be far more prudent anyway. Imagine every worthwhile bestseller, every single scientific journal and textbook, everything and anything that was given a remote damn had its place in this endless cavern. Here each letter of the alphabet had hundreds of thousands of books organized under their names, and the decimal system went into its millionth before finally coming to an end. This colossal collection served as the cornerstone of knowledge in Gensokyo, and only a handful were privy to the contents.

"Don't you have a job to do China?" The pajama-clad bookkeeper asked, shortly before giving a dismissive wave of her pale hand, "Oh who am I kidding? It's not like you actually do it. Why don't you come in, show me what you're having for lunch? I was thinking of getting some soup."

"Patchouli," Meiling said rather urgently, "I need you to look at this tanuki. I need to know what killed it."

The sickly girl slammed her book shut, "I'll admit I've always wanted to play coroner," She slowly cleared a space upon a nearby table, "Place it there, I need a book on anatomy."

Meiling did as ordered before regarding the lone wound nervously, "Um, I don't think that will really be necessary."

Patchouli pulled a book that went into great detail on the dissection a tanuki, briefly skimming its contents, "What was that?" The librarian asked as she floated back over, "I won't be needing..." She trailed off as she stared at the dog's split open head, and the lack of anything within the body. The girl's thin lips pulled into a smirk, "Now that's interesting."

Meiling watched as Patchouli glided back to the endless shelves, "Does this look familiar at all?"

The bookkeeper tossed the book into the darkness, "Nope!" She answered all too eagerly, "This is the perfect opportunity to add to the collection don't you think?"

The gatekeeper stared blankly, "Add to the collection?"

"This library's gotten incredibly stale, I've read all these books so many times I can recite them verbatim. But _this_," She allowed herself a laugh, "This is something new! A chance to learn again instead of review almost makes me want to squeal in delight."

"So you'll help me?" Meiling asked.

"This is strictly for my gain, China. You'd do well not to make assumptions," Patchouli called from the second floor shelves, "Nothing I've ever read has cataloged such a grisly yet clean form of consumption. If we have an unknown creature from the outside world, or better yet, a native species taking its first steps, I _will _be the first to document it!" She dropped from the darkness above, slamming a notepad down on the table and drawing a pen, "Where did you find the carcass?"

"Outside, and I didn't just find it, I saw it happen," Meiling answered.

Patchouli's hand trembled as she scribbled nonsense across the paper, "Y-you saw the creature? W-what did it look like?! How did it move?!"

"Far too fast for my eyes," Meiling answered, "The best I could make out was a bladed leg or two, everything else was just a black blur. The thing was fast, I'd say it could rival your average tengu."

The bookkeeper eagerly jot down everything Meiling was telling her, "How fast did it kill the tanuki?"

"Within five seconds," Meiling answered immediately.

"Impressive_,_" Patchouli said as she looked over the corpse again. After an unnecessary moment of silence the bookkeeper implored Meiling to continue, "And?"

"And nothing," Meiling answered, "That's all I know. The body's insides have been sucked out, the black devil moves like a tengu that tried coffee for the first time," She gave the air a quick sniff, "And for some reason the body has yet to start smelling."

"I call that a blessing, China, not a hindrance," Patchouli retorted, "Neither of us want to sneak out a reeking corpse."

Meiling rubbed her arm, "Agreed."

The bookkeeper produced a knife and began to cut the tanuki laterally, "Time to get a better look at what's left of our little friend," She was slow and methodical, her memorization of the dog's anatomy telling her where to apply or remove pressure. However the ribcage gave far too easily, even for a little tanuki, "How disconcerting," Patchouli said, picking up a shattered piece of bone, "So brittle, like a dried-out twig."

"I have a hard time believing that the black devil could do that, however given how little we know," Meiling sighed in frustration, "I wish I could have caught the beast."

"I'd hardly look upon such a memory and feel regret if I were in your shoes, China," Patchouli told the gatekeeper as she gently parted the tanuki's chest, "I shudder to think what our little monster could do to the likes of you if it came down to it."

"You're implying it can harm a youkai."

"As far as I'm concerned it can," The bookkeeper retorted sternly, "Always expect the unexpected, especially in Gensokyo. We live in a world where the cold hard truth is mired in fact."

Meiling stared blankly, "That's a-"

"Contradiction. I know," Patchouli interrupted, "Youkai are, '_immune to physical attacks,_' She said, raising her pale hands in an air quote, "That is treated as a fact."

"_It might as well be,_" Meiling muttered.

"The creature -going by your recollection- is about as fast as your average tengu," Patchouli began, "Given how fast your '_average tengu'_ is, the creature could easily bring down a youkai _if_ it knew how," The bookkeeper stressed the "if" greatly.

"So I need to treat this thing like it can kill me in seconds?" Meiling asked incredulously.

Patchouli pinched the bridge of her nose, "Always overestimate an unknown, China! If you are prepared properly, you will know one's tricks and traps before they are even sprung."

As much as she wanted to protest the idea, Meiling knew that there was no point in opposing sound advice. Her silence allowed Patchouli to resume her examination of the carcass, to which there was little of.

"Oh you're a thorough little creature aren't you?" Patchouli said dreamily to no-one in particular, "So clean, yet so brutal. Maybe you _are_ from the outside world," She examined a string of tattered flesh that was still within the body. Curious the bookkeeper gave it a weak tug, revealing that it was still attached to the body. She gave a quiet hum at the revelation, "China, take a look at this."

Hesitantly Meiling leaned in, staring at the lone bit of flesh that remained from the monster's attack, "What exactly am I looking at?"

"Another tell," Patchouli said, "If we can find another victim of the creature, we can create a MO."

Meiling's thoughts drifted at MO, "What?"

"_Modus Operandi_," Patchouli said, "It's a term from the outside world, meaning method of operation. Predators are creatures of habit, they kill their prey in very specific ways. Find a few bodies, we get an MO. Get an MO, and we can track the beast."

"So now what? Go outside and find a body?" Meiling meant it as a jab, but the glint of determination in Patchouli's eyes meant that she _would_ be taking part in this hunt.

"That's exactly what it means," The bookkeeper said, "Koakuma!" She shouted.

In an instant a response came in the form of a red-maned girl gracefully dropping to the ground from above. She rose slowly, her face serenely mute, "Patchouli-Sama," She said in a well-rehearsed monotone.

"I need you to take care of the library for me," Patchouli said as she began stuffing various things into a large book-bag, "Keep Marisa out, make sure sections D through M are reorganized by length, and for the love of all that is holy, I don't want to come back to see this place reduced to an auction house again."

Koakuma gave a light nod, "Anything else your majesty?"

"Enough of the maid-nonsense, I can barely stand that crap from Sakuya," Patchouli ordered in irritation.

The devil's lips twisted into an amused smirk, "And what should I tell Marisa when she comes to make a withdrawal and asks for you?"

"Tell her I'm out hunting," Patchouli answered tartly, "More specifically onyx devil-spiders that hunt little dogs. I cannot offer a definite time for my return, however I trust you'll at least _attempt_ to keep this place orderly?"

Koakuma's maid-like façade broke at what she'd just heard. Wide-eyed and bewildered she stared at Meiling, silently asking if she had just heard that. All the gatekeeper could offer a helpless shrug, "O-of course, Patchouli-Sama," Koakuma said with a stiff bow, still trying to process the idea of Patchouli actually leaving the library, much less the mansion.

Eager to leave the annoying devil's presence the bookkeeper tossed the bisected Tanuki into Meiling's arms, "Hang on to that, I'm not done with it yet," She looked at Koakuma, who was staring at the corpse morbidly, "Don't you dare tell her anything."

The devil nodded furiously, "I didn't see a damn thing."

"Let's go Meiling," Patchouli ordered, slinging her book-bag over her shoulder, "We're wasting time worrying about Remilia."

* * *

"Say, Sakuya," Remilia said to the maid that stood stiffly by her side, "You seem a little tense today. Did something happen?"

"Of course not Ojou-Sama," Sakuya said while wearing a solid poker-face, "I am perfectly fine."

The lolita vampire didn't look satisfied with that answer, but decided to return to her meal. She gingerly reached for her cup only to freeze when a subtle odor hit her nostrils, "Say, Sakuya," She began again, returning her teacup to its plate, "Do you smell that?"

The maid nearly jumped out of her skin at the question, "N-no I don't," She said, trying desperately to keep her composure, "Do _you_ smell something?"

Remilia gave a small sniff of the air, "Yes I do," She answered as she climbed out of her seat. Sakuya felt a cold sweat begin to form on her forehead as she watched her mistress continue to sniff the air, "It smells like... some kind of incense, flowers maybe," Sakuya sighed in relief as Remilia returned to her seat, "Is this what you're so stiff about Sakuya?" She said with an amused look, "New maid?"

The maid offered a somewhat shameful nod, "Yes Ojou-Sama, the maids were teaching a new-addition how to cook. I took the initiative and burnt some incense in the event that something goes horribly wrong."

Satisfied with Sakuya's lie, Remilia returned her attention to the cup of tea that sat before her, "You looked like you were hiding dolly or something," She said in jest before taking a small sip of her drink.

Sakuya promptly fainted.

* * *

Meiling and Patchouli stared at each-other helplessly, "So," Meiling began hesitantly, "What now?"

Patchouli glanced around nervously. They'd come to the human village to absorb the rumors and find something regarding the devil-spider, however the village was surprisingly empty today. Not a soul was in sight, and it looked like that wasn't going to change anytime soon, "Um," The bookkeeper began, trying to find somewhere that looked like life had actually passed through recently. Then she spotted someone familiar, "Aha!"

"What?" Meiling followed Patchouli's finger, finding what looked like a human with hair the color of ash, and clad in a black and blue outfit. He looked a little familiar actually. Didn't Koakuma talk about this person before?

"Rinnosuke!" Patchouli called, "Rinnosuke, over here!" She waved her arms in an exaggerated manner.

The man turned his head in the pair's direction, eyes widening when he saw the two. Either out of shock, horror, or some bastard combination of the two, he seemed a little hesitant as he made his way over to the odd pair, "P-Patchouli?" He asked in a hushed tone, "What are you doing here? Hell, what are you doing out of that accursed library?"

"I'm looking for something, I had Koakuma watch the library for me," Patchouli answered, gesturing for Meiling to present the dead tanuki, "Have you heard anyone talk about something like this?"

Rinnosuke scrutinized the carcass intently before letting out a tired sigh, "Seamlessly split head," He began, "Inner body empty save for a single strand of flesh, outside skin withered and aged- oh, and don't forget the brittle bones, yes?" The girls eyed the man curiously, "I know about the monster that did this. It's the talk of the human village actually, nobody here doesn't know about it," He scanned the barren wasteland that was the human village, "Also the reason why everyone's gone into hiding."

"Really?" Meiling asked, "Little monster moves pretty fast doesn't he?"

Rinnosuke scoffed, "Fast? If the Hoshoku was slow it wouldn't be eating tengu would it?"

Patchouli and Meiling exchanged morbid glances. Finally, a name to slap on to that black blur, and unfortunately the realization that, yes, it _could_ bring down youkai. Patchouli took the initiative, "C-can you tell us about this Hoshoku? Whatever you know will help us in the long run," The man's silence spurred her on, "_I'm willing to pay for the information,_" She said through a stiff jaw.

"I'm not going to tell you about the Hoshoku," Was his answer.

"What?" Meiling nearly shouted, "We're willing to pay, you little snot! I could just beat you into the ground then raid that little trash-heap you call a shop!"

Rinnosuke smiled, although a little hurt at the comment on his "trash heap", "Why tell you stories about the Hoshoku when I can show a piece of it?"

Patchouli was in his face within seconds, "You have a sample? You must let me see it! I will pay whatever price you name, just let me see it!" She pounded his chest weakly, "I must! I must! I must!" Needless to say Rinnosuke never had a girl all-over him within a minute of meeting her, maybe he should use that line more often.

Meiling pulled the ravenous bookkeeper off of Rinnosuke, "Sorry, she's really bent on finding the creature and adding it to some bestiary," She grunted as Patchouli continued to struggle in her arms.

The man waved it off, "Never mind that. The more people looking for that beast the better. We can't have it running freely around Gensokyo," He slowly lifted off of the ground before motioning for the pair to follow him, "The limb is in my shop, someone got into a fight with the beast and managed to wound it. However the Hoshoku escaped into the Bamboo Forest, and the girl who ran it off pawned the leg before giving chase," He neglected to check if the girls were following him, but hearing Patchouli complain about the wind reassured him.

Meiling hummed as she watched the ground pass beneath her, "Who was it that tore off the devil-spider's leg?"

"Reimu," Rinnosuke answered simply.

"Why am I not surprised?" The gatekeeper asked, "Woman is always looking for trouble."

"Even though I'd rather see this discarded limb, I'm curious as to how Reimu wounded it, let alone survived. Obviously we're dealing with an animal, ergo spell-card rules are beyond its comprehension. Plus from what you just told us this thing got the drop on a tengu of all things," Patchouli said, "Did she tell you anything about the Hoshoku?"

"Oh yeah," Rinnosuke began, "She told me everything she knew..."

* * *

… Today, like every other day for Hakurei Reimu, was utterly uneventful. As always, not one soul came to offer a donation, Marisa visited for their traditional afternoon tea, and overnight Suika would inevitably attempt to raid the shrine maiden's cellar yet again in hopes of finding some high quality drink. So far today was just as terribly monotonous as the others.

Until some local farmers came to visit that is.

The maiden was roused from her increasingly routine midday nap when she heard the all too alien sound of some very heavy things hitting the bottom of her sparsely populated donation box in rapid succession. Normally Reimu would chalk this up to Yukari gapping stones into the box in an attempt to get her to excitedly run outside half-naked again, however some distinctly male voices defeated that notion. With an unceremonious roll Reimu dropped off the side of her bed with a loud thud. Muttering several indecencies she climbed to her feet and, after a quick adjustment to her sarashi, slowly crept through her home. If things went the way she hoped the men would leave shortly and she could count her money.

But alas, after several minutes of waiting it was made perfectly clear to Reimu that the "generous donors" had no intention of leaving any time soon. So with a tired sigh she returned to her room to don her traditional garb. She reemerged and put on the best air of spiritual authority she could muster before setting a serene pace toward her guests. Her soft strides in tandem with her dress made it almost appear as if she was gliding across the wooden floors toward the men mumbling amongst themselves casually.

One man took notice that the shrine maiden had emerged from her den, "Hakurei-san," He said with a deep bow, "It is an honor," Shortly after his companions joined in, parroting his words in a well-rehearsed manner.

Reimu curiously gave the man a once over. He as well as his friends were raggedly dressed, each coated in their fair share of dried sweat and dirt, and judging from the smell of cattle droppings it was safe to assume the men were farmers, "How can I help you?" She asked in a positively serene tone.

The men were a little taken aback for some unearthly reason, they mumbled amongst themselves before mustering a response, "I-I believe the box will make it clear," The lead farmer said nervously.

If Reimu could be totally honest, she had little interest in what a bunch of random men had to say. She'd guessed that they wanted a blessing or something in exchange for a fake coin, but never had anyone opened a proposal with a request to open her donation box. Drawing a spellcard she quickly and expertly she blew off the lock of said box with a well placed bullet. Almost anxiously she hurried over and found a sizable tithe that nearly filled the entire box. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she beheld the glory of a genuine pile of coins, "I see. You have a youkai problem then?"

Much to her chagrin the men felt it necessary to reconvene yet again. This time took longer than expected, and Reimu cleared her throat in a show of irritation. One of the farmers yelped pathetically and the three shoved their spokesman forward, "Apologies Hakurei-san. It's just not every day you get to meet _the_ Hakurei Reimu."

The shrine maiden scoffed rudely, "It would be every day if you people actually bothered to visit," She retorted impatiently, "Now tell me what I'm going to be dealing with."

"That's the problem I'm afraid," The farmer began, "We're not exactly sure what's happening at the Human Village," Reimu's scrutinizing silence spurred him on, "A few weeks ago we were losing livestock, cattle, horses, that sort of thing. I rounded up some able-bodied men and went looking for what I thought would be just a few wolves. We never found any wolves, instead we found a pile of corpses, _animal _corpses. They looked like they'd been dumped there a thousand years ago, really bony and whatnot," After a rather tense silence the farmer reanimated, "We buried every one of the bodies. It was just too disrespectful to leave them rotting like that. When we finished up I noticed one of the guys were missing. We spread out and found nothing, coming back there were only four of us and there was a new mound of dead. I imagine you know where I'm going with this?"

Another farmer continued, "We couldn't run any faster. Whatever was out there just killed our friends and left them out like a trophy, or a warning. Either way it was obvious that we were in danger. Then things got really messed up. Whatever we were sharing that forest with started throwing bodies at us. Now we were already scared out of our minds, but then a damn youkai is dropped right at our feet! Can you imagine what that would be like? Sharing the woods with a monster that makes meals out of youkai?"

"_Then!_" The head farmer shouted theatrically, "One of our guys was just plucked up and dragged into the bushes, all happened so fast we barely saw it! I dove into the bushes after them and hit something big. The thing was a charcoal black color, couldn't get much of a good look it was so damn dark. The beast retreated, probably didn't want to be seen, left my friend so terrified I almost thought it wasn't the same person. I carried him back to the clearing only to see-"

"My brother Kentaro was attacked by the same creature. I managed to grab him before he was taken, but damn that thing was just-" Farmer Two shivered, "It was so disgusting, the way it moved, the way it looked. Acted like a spider, it did, even had the legs of one growing from its back. But looked nothing like anything I've ever seen before."

Reimu furrowed her brow as she processed the information. Something wasn't right about this, youkai were not ones to succumb to predators, hell physical blows were utterly useless against them, "So this entity, this monster that's been tormenting you," She began, "It's capable of killing youkai? Do you know if this was accomplished in the same fashion as the other victims?"

The lead farmer scratched his head, "Forgive me Hakurei-san, we were so terrified at the time we can barely remember the small details. The only real similarity was the most gruesome. The head, while everyone else's was horribly split open, the youkai only had a simple scar. I think they regenerated just as they died, so I can only assume and say that its more than likely they were all felled in the same fashion."

"So I'm looking for a super-predator that makes sport of the people of your village and the youkai?" Reimu asked with a cold expression.

The men nearly wet themselves, in fact one dove behind a nearby bush to relieve himself, "D-don't get us wrong!" The lead farmer said hastily, "W-we have more than just faith in you H-Hakurei-san, we _know _you can stop this creature! You invaded hell just to get revenge on those who wrecked your shrine, you of your own volition attacked the Scarlet Devil Mansion and stopped the red mist, hell, you've taken on Yukari and won! So if you can pull off stunts like that, its obvious you can stop a hungry monster!"

Reimu folded her arms, "Uh-huh."

"But we also knew that unless you were directly affected, the best way to get you on a case was to pay you," The farmer regarded the pile that filled the modest donation box, "I'm willing to triple that and throw in my best bottle of saké if you bring me the monster's head."

The shrine maiden's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the mere notion of what she would be getting out of this. She could see it now: sprawled across her throne of coin as she happily chugged a bottle of saké, a weeping Suika reduced to a mere stool for the shrine maiden to lazily drape her legs across. She could hardly contain the serene façade because of how giddy she was getting. Eagerly Reimu motioned for the men to move, "Lead on then, the sooner we deal with this the sooner I get paid," The farmers cheered in approval, _I'd probably look into it sooner or __later anyways._

Entering the village, Reimu was greeted with a warm reception. Several people of all ages and sexes crowded around her and her escorts, bombarding her with various questions. Some asked about previous conquests, some asked if she and Marisa were an item (something she adamantly refuted), and the others begged that she stop the monster that was threatening them. Incidentally a few others asked for the same of a creature called the Hoshoku.

Eventually the crowd dispersed as quickly as they appeared, and in their wake emerged an old man. Withered beyond his days, yet he moved like he was still in his prime. The farmers that flanked her bowed, and Reimu felt it was only appropriate to do the same, "I do not deserve such an honor from the great Hakurei Reimu," He glanced at her escorts, "Nor do I deserve it from my kinsmen," The elder said in a scolding tone. The farmers rose melancholically, to which the elder laughed, "Don't look so sad! Retribution is here, and her name is Reimu!" He managed a bow, despite his apparent age, "Satou Ryochi, at your service for the foreseeable future. Now the _only_ afflicted survivor of the search party from a few days ago."

"W-wait! What happened to my brother?" Farmer Two asked.

The elder's face contorted into a sorrowful frown, "Kentaro has succumbed to the aging poison of the Hoshoku, and I fear I may not be far behind him."

Reimu's thoughts lingered on that name again, the one the villagers said with fear and paranoia, "The Hoshoku," She repeated, testing the name on her tongue, "The entity that has been preying on your village?"

"Did more than prey on _us_," Ryochi said in reference to the other victims, "I assume you know about the youkai that fell as well?"

"And that the creature's victims have been used as tools to demoralize your little search party? Yes I know," Reimu answered, "Do you know how long you have?"

Ryochi puzzled for a moment, "Judging from when Kentaro died, I'd say a few minutes," It shocked Reimu how casually he said that he was going to drop dead shortly, what had his encounter with this Hoshoku creature done to make him so accepting of such an early demise? The subject of her thoughts gave her a sad, yet reassuring smile, "I have already said my goodbyes, and I have accepted my fate. All I want is to die knowing that the Hoshoku's days are numbered," His smile brightened, "And since you're here now, I know that's a fact! Show that animal we humans give as good as we get!"

The shrine maiden returned his joyous grin with a soft smile, "I will do my best to honor your wish."

"You'd better! You're being payed for it!" He chortled loudly, "I'm sorry, I beg that you indulge a dying man in his last-" Ryochi suddenly clutched his heart, still laughing as he did so. The farmers acted quickly, scooping him up and hauling off the last man to see the Hoshoku and live. He protested and struggled valiantly, citing that helping Reimu was more important than his health. They paid him no mind as they carried him into a nearby house.

The lead farmer/spokesman however stayed behind with Reimu, "I wish we could've done something," He said sadly, "But evidently the Hoshoku is an enemy beyond a bunch of simple people like us."

Reimu nodded, "I'd give you time to grieve, however if what you've said is true it is only a matter of time before this Hoshoku attacks again. Can you take me to where you found the youkai... Spokesman-san?" She said with a teasing smirk.

"Spokesman" grumbled loudly in irritation, "Yeah, yeah," He said with a casual wave of his hand, "Follow me, and keep your cards drawn just in case," With that said he began to lead Reimu out of the village and into the nearby treeline.

Upon making it to a clearing the ramifications of the Hoshoku's presence in the woods became readily apparent. There were discarded bodies everywhere, each matching the descriptor of "dried out husk." Disturbingly the faces of the more humanoid corpses were totally split open.

"There's a lot more bodies than I expected," Reimu said as she scanned the ground around her. She spotted a cow that had fallen victim to this mystery predator, its head bore a massive puncture wound, similar to the humans. Out of the corner of her eye Reimu spotted the stripped skull of a horse bearing the exact same wound. The holes were virtually seamless, no blood, no tattered flesh.

Spokesman laughed, "The Hoshoku cares little about cleaning up. All it seems to care about is feeding," He scooped up a discarded bone mid-step, "Funny, you'd think some scavengers would clean up all of this."

Reimu snatched the bone from Spokesman's hand, "Perhaps..." With little effort Reimu snapped the bone in an instant, "As I thought. No marrow, and as brittle as a dried leaf."

"So the Hoshoku consumes everything it deems of worth?" Spokesman asked.

"I suspect as much," Reimu said as she tossed the shattered bone aside, "However the question remains: how? And better yet, how the Hoshoku seems to be more than capable of bringing down a youkai, capable enough to actively hunt them? If I'm to believe that the youkai go down in a similar manner, we need to find out what the devil it does to drain these bodies."

"Perhaps it injects a venom?" Spokesman offered, "Ryochi called it an '_aging poison,'_ and such a thing could explain the brittle bones and husks," He paused, "But the clean wounds, no blood, no marrow... it injects and devours at the same time?" The farmer offered.

Reimu remained silent, not wanting to butt into the conversation the man was having with himself.

"But the youkai are immune to physical attacks. It's possible that initially the Hoshoku doesn't attack physically, but instead-"

"Get down!" Before Spokesman could react Reimu tackled him to the ground, as soon as the two hit the cold earth thousands of bullets and for some reason a tree flew overhead.

"What the hell was that!?" The bewildered farmer shouted. The response came not from Reimu, but from something else. It was this deep-blaring sound what was nothing like she had ever heard before. Some very distant, very primal part of her already wanted to retreat and save herself, but that part was readily dismissed. "Hakurei-san?" Spokesman asked with a pale face, "The monster that killed my friends made that same sound."

From the treeline burst a small tengu, her face warped in sheer terror and pale as a sheet. Reimu observed that the girl was running... a _tengu_ was running, with her _feet_, "Stop!" The maiden ordered as she flew after the terrified youkai. She noticed the Tengu's back was covered in blood and retched at the implications.

"N-No! I won't let you take me!" She shouted in response. From behind the two came another twisted roar, this time much closer, "Please leave me alone!" She continued, weeping openly.

"I'll confront this beast, I'll protect you! All I want is for you to stop running!" Reimu offered. The tengu slowed down, clearly considering the maiden's words. The forest let out a mighty grunt and a bamboo stalk turned into a javelin burst from the brush, Reimu managed to dodge, but the makeshift spear hit its intended target and knocked her to the ground, _Wretched beast!_ Reimu thought angrily, _You won't make a meal out of this one!_

Meanwhile the poor tengu girl had curled up on the ground, whimpering pathetically and trembling. She froze when a softer sound came from the woods. The monster was so close now, the monster that took her wings. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a drained body get thrown on top of the red girl, she shrieked loudly and struggled to throw it off of her. That's how the monster got you, throw a rotten face at you before-

Within seconds Reimu had the corpse off of her, and in that time frame she was forced to watch as a pair of spider legs burst from the brush and plucked up the tengu like a berry. The worst part was that aside from the rustling of leaves and snapping twigs, neither party made a sound, "Damn it!" Reimu shouted, willing her orbs to her flanks the maiden immediately fired a volley at the rustling brush. She earned a surprised grunt before the tengu was flung out of the brush. Reimu immediately stopped her assault to catch the girl, just as she was hit by something that had the power of a rolling boulder behind it. The shrine maiden managed to float to a halt and regain her bearings, and then she saw it. Standing over the tengu's limp form possessively was a creature that looked like it would be more at home in Jigoku than here. It had a very bony yet lean build, its smooth skin was a solid-charcoal color and its back was coated in massive stone-like scales. Its face bore two luminous blue eyes, but beyond that lacked any discernible mouth or nose. From its back were two massive hinged limbs, similar to an insect or arachnid, and on the ends of each were wicked looking blades, one was coated in fresh blood.

"So you're the Hoshoku," Reimu said as she descended back to the creature's level, "I'm going to give you one chance to-" She didn't even get to finish before the devil-spider charged her again. This time she managed to lift off before she was hit by the same boulder twice in one sitting. The Hoshoku stumbled as it tried to regain its bearings, after finally coming to a halt it looked up and barked at her, dropping down to all fours and scurrying back to the dead tengu, "Seems you can only speak through violence," Reimu smirked, "Thankfully I am well-versed in your language," The shrine maiden drew a card, "Spirit Sign: Fantasy Orb!" In a flash of bright light two massive glowing spheres barreled toward the Hoshoku.

She didn't count on a total disregard for the dead.

Thinking quickly, the Hoshoku threw the useless body of its prey at one of the orbs, and exploded into a spectacular flash of light. The tengu corpse dropped to the ground seconds later, her flesh burnt, her clothes dotted with hot embers. The other orb then burst from the dust, after an opponent far faster than it. The devil-spider ripped through the brush, the searing orb in hot pursuit. Reimu was about to conjure another pair when the Hoshoku charged into her once more, wrapping its arms around her in a bear hug. Reimu grunted as she dug her heels into the ground, slowing the devil-spider's advance, but hardly stopping it. Over the beast's shoulder she saw the orb emerge from a nearby bush, if she didn't move soon she'd be caught in the blast. Reimu tried to push back, matching the Hoshoku's steps. However it was making more ground now that she wasn't keeping her heels buried in the dirt. She looked over the beast's shoulder again. The orb was too close to do anything now, all she could do was close her eyes tight and wait for a stinging sensation.

Reimu felt her legs undercut by the Hoshoku's chitinous limbs, and within seconds was thrown over the beast's shoulder and into the orb. Nobody really described what being on the receiving end of danmaku fire was like, and perhaps there was a reason for that. Reimu felt several things, it felt like she'd just been struck by lightning while at the same time getting thrown into a coal-filled fire-pit. Danmaku wasn't lethal, but that was the point. If danmaku was lethal Reimu'd rather just have the humans learn how to exterminate the youkai on their own. Point being, it hurt like hell, and the Hoshoku simply watched. The maiden unceremoniously dropped to the ground as the orb finally dissipated, her traditional garb seared and her hair frazzled and smoking on certain ends. The Hoshoku sank its claws into her shoulders as it forced her into a sitting position. Reimu defiantly punched its face and struck its loins, but the Hoshoku did nothing but grunt in response to every-other-strike. Given that a tengu was reduced to a shivering wreck by the creature, part of her was ready to admit she was beat. The beast's blades were hovering over her head, and she could see a small hollow on the tip, _So that's how you do it,_ Reimu thought, _Just need to take them off..._

As if on cue something else caught the Hoshoku's attention, its grip loosened, and Reimu used the chance to muster what strength she had left and spring into action. Swiftly she gripped one of the beast's bladed limbs and pulled with all of her might. The Hoshoku came down easier than she'd anticipated, and was a lot lighter than she was to boot. Gripping the limb tightly once more Reimu managed another heave, and the devil-spider was almost powerless as it was once again lifted off of the ground. Since Reimu didn't really know what she could do aside from swing it around like a maniac, she settled for just that. Around and around she went, spinning for so long that she was certain that the vertigo would either force her to her knees or make her vomit, but somehow she held steadfast.

A resounding crack filled the air, and suddenly the Hoshoku's weight underwent a colossal shift. The change forced Reimu to her rump, struggling to restrain the violently squirming and twitching- where's the rest of it? Reimu's eyes shot up just in time to see the devil-spider fly into a nearby tree. While it was a rather amusing sight, Reimu was struck with dread. The Hoshoku still surpassed her in terms of both sheer strength and speed, plus now that it was free the beast would pull no punches. The Hoshoku rose to its hind legs menacingly, flexing its remaining limb forward. The Hoshoku let out another roar before charging forward. Thinking quickly Reimu swung the now limp limb in her arms at the beast, however it was easily dodged with a graceful leap on the devil-spider's part. Reimu swung the limp limb again as the Hoshoku landed, only for the blade to ping off the creature's stone scales. The Hoshoku whipped around, slashing its deadly limb across Reimu's abdomen.

Now she knew why that Tengu feared the devil-spider so. Within that grim instant of first blood Reimu felt some searing substance force its way through her veins, she felt her heart begin to squeeze itself, her lungs burn, her joints buckle, and her vision blur terribly. She clung to the Hoshoku's lost limb tightly as she collapsed to the ground. Such a powerful venom, it didn't need to be stronger than a youkai to bring them down, it just needed to get close, cause some sort of laceration so it could infect its victim, and then it could do whatever deed necessary to kill them. So deviously efficient, she'd admire how quick and clean the Hoshoku operated if she was sober. She felt the devil-spider hoist her into a sitting position, then for reasons she was too distracted to discern it abruptly dropped her. Reimu lazily rolled over in an attempt to find whatever caught the devil-spider's attention. Someone was leisurely strolling over, and from the sounds the Hoshoku was making, it was not happy to see them, "H-hello?" She managed to rasp out.

"Poor Reimu," The newcomer said in a chiding voice, "Looks like you bit off more than you could chew with this one," The woman knelt next to the maiden, which earned an audible hiss from the Hoshoku, "Oh shut up, you," She easily dismissed.

Reimu easily recognized that nonchalant tone, "Yukari?"

"You make it sound like you don't recognize me," The gap-youkai answered, "Little devil must've really messed you up," Yukari gently drug her finger along Reimu's wound. The maiden gasped at the contact, but thankfully in response Yukari quickly withdrew her hand, "Need a little help?"

She really wanted to do this herself, but the Hoshoku didn't leave her in the best of conditions, "_Fi..._"

Yukari leaned down next to Reimu, "What was that? I'm deaf in this ear."

"_Fine..._" Reimu growled.

She could practically _feel_ Yukari's smug grin with her next response, "One more time please?"

"Help me, dammit!"

Yukari rose to her feet, "Was that so hard?" She turned to the Hoshoku, who was strafing circles around the pair, "I know this may be hard for you to understand," Yukari began, "But I cannot allow you to kill this girl here," The Hoshoku only let out another intimidating hiss in response, earning a sigh from the gap-youkai, "Poor thing, so oblivious. I know that you can understand me, devil, you are far more intelligent than you make yourself appear to be. You kill Reimu here, and the Hakurei Border keeping this place ship-shape goes bye-bye. With the border gone, some very bad things will happen to Gensokyo, and I can imagine you don't want to be destroyed along with your food, eh?" The Hoshoku paused mid-step, its furrowed brow showing that it _was _considering her words. Yukari smiled warmly, "There are plenty of others to hunt devil, just like Reimu's unfortunate companion, all I ask is that you leave this one alive."

Well, that sucked. Spokesman was dead, probably the husk the Hoshoku threw on top of her. He was a nice companion for all of eleven minutes. She'd need to stop by the village and inform next-of-kin. The Hoshoku turned its back to the pair, giving the maiden time to ask a quick question, "Yukari, what are you doing?" Reimu asked, slowly sobering up.

The gap-youkai leaned down again, "Making sure your life isn't in jeopardy the next time you decide to hunt our little monster," She glanced up to see the Hoshoku was gone, leaving its discarded limb behind, "Now that's what I call service."

"It feared you," Reimu observed as Yukari helped her up.

The gap-youkai hummed in response, "Yes and no," She responded, "It didn't necessarily fear me, it feared the loss of its prey, and its own life. The black creature has no desire to put Gensokyo and everyone within it at risk" She smiled, "At least not yet."

"Hoshoku," Reimu clarified, "The humans call it the Hoshoku."

"How appropriate," Yukari deadpanned, folding her arms, "So how are you going to deal with it."

Reimu gave Yukari a confused look, "You're... _not _going to help?" She asked, "You're not going to banish it back to whatever hellhole it crawled from?!"

The gap-youkai sighed audibly, "That's rude you know. Gensokyo isn't a hellhole, it's just a little nuts."

"You're telling me that the Hoshoku is native to Gensokyo?" Reimu asked incredulously.

Yukari nodded, "Therefore the Hoshoku is our problem, and now _you're _going to deal with it."

The shrine maiden offered an amused smirk, "Just like always?"

Yukari placed a hand on Reimu's shoulder, "Would we have it any other way?"

* * *

"How impressive," Patchouli said as she and Meiling were ushered into the Kourindou, "But there's one thing that bothers me."

Rinnosuke began to sift through the menagerie of outside world junk he had collected over the years, "Yeah? What's that?"

"One of the villagers brought up an "aging poison." I can only assume that the Hoshoku injects it into its victims as a fail-safe in the event that someone escaped," The bookkeeper began, "How do we know that Reimu has not been poisoned? Given the time frame she may only have a few days to live."

There was a loud crash as a pile of trash swept over Rinnosuke like a wave. From beneath he let out a muffled scream.

"Rinnosuke!" Meiling shouted as she dug through the trash in an effort to dig the poor man out.

"P-p-p-_poison_?!" Was the first word out of Rinnosuke's mouth as he was yanked out of the garbage by the gatekeeper, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Patchouli sighed tiredly, "She doesn't know, does she?"

"I-I don't think she does!" Was Rinnosuke's answer. Worming his way out of Meiling's arms he tried to go for the door only to be blocked by the chinese woman.

"We need to see that leg," The gatekeeper said sternly, "It may still carry some venom we can use."

The man's eyes lit up, "Of course!" He scrambled into a nearby pile of junk, tossing objects every-which-way until he managed to produce the large arachnid limb. Hurriedly Rinnosuke swept all of the items on his counter and placed the limb on the table, "Here!"

Patchouli was on the thing less than one second later, scribbling notes and observations as she practically slobbered over the only existing sample of the Hoshoku. It was very disturbing to watch the pale girl go to town on it, but she was the only one Meiling could count on. Then that thought was immediately shattered when Patchouli _licked_ it, "W-what the hell are you doing?!"

Patchouli hurriedly scribbled down more notes, "Tastes of wasabi..." She looked at Meiling as if nothing had happened, "What?"

"We're not here to find out if the stupid spider tastes good!" Meiling shouted, "We need a cure for the venom in case Reimu is poisoned! And if that _is _the case then we're running out of time!"

The pale girl stared at the wet streak on the chitin armor solemnly, "_We need to know these things..._" She muttered as she strolled over to the bladed end of the leg. She leaned over to get a good look at the tip, "It _is_ hollow at a glance, but there's something inside," She observed, "It probably has something like a radula, that would give the Hoshoku the means to suck out the flesh of its prey like it does, crude, but from what we've seen far from messy."

Meiling felt her mind beginning to drift again, "Radula?" She asked.

Patchouli pinched the bridge of her nose irritably, "Not important," She answered in exasperation.

Rinnosuke impatiently motioned for Patchouli to continue.

Patchouli's slender fingers danced across the blade experimentally, "From your recount of Reimu's recount of the skirmish with the beast-" She pushed down on the blade, squeezing it between her palm and the table, but nothing happened, "I was hoping that would work," Then she stroked the tip of the blade, dragging her finger down to the base, and to her surprise the blade released a quick shot of some luminous substance, "Well that was cute," Patchouli said with a straight face, "Rinnosuke, grab a bottle and rest it against the tip of the blade."

Hesitantly the man walked behind the counter and produced a bottle. Hand trembling he nestled the tip of the Hoshoku's limb into the bottle's throat, "R-ready," Patchouli gave the neck of the blade another gentle stroke, and once again the same substance shot out and filled the bottle by a quarter, "I-I assume this is our venom?"

The pale girl shrugged, "Seems like it."

"So how do we make an antidote?" Rinnosuke asked, staring at the substance inside the bottle with morbid fascination.

"It'll take time, but I think I can come up with something," Patchouli answered as she tied the Hoshoku's leg to a protesting Meiling, "In the meantime, we need to find Reimu. Do you know where she went?"

The man shrugged, "After the Hoshoku, that's all I know."

Meiling sighed in defeat as Patchouli tightened the bindings, "Fumbling in the dark again, eh Patchy?"

The pale girl smirked, "It was in the dark that the Hoshoku took its first steps," Patchouli began, "It is under the cover of that black veil that the devil-spider claims its prey, and it is in the darkness that it calls home we shall find our wayward shrine-maiden."

"Play on its terms?" Meiling asked, eager to head out.

"Exactly."

Rinnosuke fumbled with his fingers, "So I guess you're off?" He asked with a hint of disappointment.

Patchouli turned to the shopkeeper, "We're going, I need you to spread the word. People need to know about the Hoshoku, to stay out of the bamboo forest, keep an eye trained on the shadows. We're going to find Reimu before it's too late."

"I'll do that," The man said, "I kind of wished I could go too."

"Who knows, maybe you'll find the Hoshoku before we do," Meiling teased as she strolled out of the door with her purple companion.

When the door slid shut Rinnosuke suddenly looked very adverse to the idea of leaving, "On second thought, I think I'll leave this to the _real _incident solvers," He thought aloud as he scratched the back of his head.

* * *

Reimu couldn't possibly move any faster, her burning veins and aching heart pushing her on. That bastard creature, the Hoshoku, and its cowardly poison. It slipped her mind, and yet she was told about it not ten-minutes before she fought it. She wanted an antidote _now. _Her time-limit was a few days, and if the late Ryochi was any indication, she'd look like a gargoyle before too long. She was angry, she wanted that beast's head on a platter before night's end. The maiden burst from the treetops, spotting a luminous blue form weaving through the canopy with shocking speed. The Hoshoku was fast, but everyone had to stop eventually. She pursued with all of her might, suppressing the fatigue attempting to force her to the ground.

Then the Hoshoku shot from the trees, smashing into Reimu with the same landslide force that caught her off guard once again. Thick branches and twigs snapped as the two tumbled through the forest, both parties trying to force the other beneath them. Thankfully Reimu managed to get a foothold before they made contact with the ground, but the Hoshoku recovered in an instant, claws instantly snapping to her face and throat, trying to force her to let go. Reimu willed her orbs to fire into the Hoshoku's face, swallowing it in a satisfying hail of smoke and embers. There was a tiny part of her that thought she was finally going to win a round, when she heard the sound of tearing flesh.

The Hoshoku rose off the ground, its grip still tight on Reimu and hers on it. The shrine-maiden was shocked when she found out what was causing it. On its back, the Hoshoku had inconsiderately regenerated the leg Reimu had inadvertently torn off, and had the sheer gall to grow... several... more... "_Oh hell,_" The maiden muttered as she stared at the six hollow blades that supported both her and the devil-spider's weight. Six more of those bastard venom-laden limbs was more than enough to royally piss Reimu off. This multiplied its attack speed, multiplied sheer strength- hell, just multiply everything. The monster was improving itself, evolving right before her very eyes, and she was dying because of a cut.

Reimu screamed madly, willed two more orbs into existence and added to the already substantial fire that most likely was beginning to mar the Hoshoku's face. She began to add to that by punching its throat, which earned several satisfying choking sounds and loud coughs from the beast, "You little monster!" She shouted, "You spare me just so I can die slowly?! Because of you I'm going to look like an old hag before night's end!" The Hoshoku let out a roar in response as it flipped over, pinning Reimu to the ground and allowing the danmaku bullets to start slapping against its armored back. The beast rose up one of its legs, ready to drive them back down and suck the life out of her. Reimu struggled valiantly to get out of the devil-spider's grip, however-

***SHINK!***

The shrine-maiden tried to scream as a terrible pain struck her, but nothing came. Then she felt a numbing sensation dull all of her senses, drown out the agony from its venom. She stared at the monster's horribly dried out and cracked face, the seams were glowing, almost as if its very blood was luminous. Part of her just started laughing, someone stronger finally won, and thankfully that someone was incapable of speech and unable to gloat like some jackass. She could admit that this kind of death wouldn't be all bad, quick and honorable, just two silent parties expressing through action what words could not. She could almost swear its eyes were saying something profound or meaningful, but that was likely the pre-mortem nonsense she heard so much about. She could finally gasp loudly as the Hoshoku ripped its leg out of her shoulder, and Reimu's hand immediately snapped to her wound in some futile attempt to smother the pain. It was small, almost like taking a dagger, and it wasn't even that deep. Part of her was already cursing Yukari for her bargain with the beast, "W-well?" She stuttered out, still reeling from the shock "What n-now?" She tried to put on her most defiant face, but the devil-spider's actions were making it a little hard to not look surprised.

The Hoshoku simply stared for a moment, hissing audibly as it inspected the wound. Once satisfied the devil-spider gently set the further enraged Reimu down, gave her wound a last cursory glance, and then decided to wander off on all-fours, back into the bamboo thicket.

"H-hey!" Reimu managed, "What the hell was that? Why won't you finish the- the..." The shrine-maiden trailed off as she quite simply gave up on trying to talk to the beast. It couldn't speak, or didn't want to, so what was the point? The answer seemed obvious, if nonsensical, "I'm going insane," She said to herself, "After all of the nonsense I've had to deal with over the years, I've finally went off of the deep end," Reimu laughed at the idea. She was tired now, and to be quite frank the grass was suddenly feeling quite comfortable. Maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt, give her shoulder time to heal anyway, "_I'll get you, demon. Just you wait,_" She muttered before slowly closing her eyes.

* * *

She knew about the monster, she'd seen its handiwork. Humans, animals, youkai, all dead. Man and beast shared the trademark split faces and empty innards, but for the youkai it was a little different, far more curious. The youkai, thanks to their regeneration, didn't look worse for wear aside from the torn clothing and blood. She'd even go as far as to say their bodies were in pristine condition, the only mark from the monster being a scar on the forehead. In fact, if one decided to give the carcass a quick cut, the wound would instantly heal as if the body was still alive.

"Something dark is at work," The ashen-haired girl murmured aloud, "These youkai are dead, and yet they aren't," The girl was known as Fujiwara no Mokou, local samaritan, immortal, and rumored phoenix. She hadn't really paid the deaths any mind during the more furtive weeks. Back then they were just animals, only recently were humans and soon thereafter youkai thrown on to the list of the deceased. If it was indeed the same monster, it was getting stronger, and everyone missed what might have been their best chance to kill it. Slipping her hands back into her pockets the noble started strolling leisurely through the bamboo thicket, keeping an eye out for more dead.

Over time, she knew someone was following her, but this someone was hardly interested in being stealthy. She didn't even look back, trying to lead the someone out of the woods, as far away from the human village as possible. The entity complied, following closely, "Are you the monster that's been killing everyone you come into contact with?" Mokou asked. She earned a grunt for her trouble, and nothing else, "Can you speak?" This time she was met with silence. The lull in dialog persisted until Mokou stopped in a clearing, the only defining feature being the stream that ran through. The noble took a moment to kneel down and get a drink, only to be greeted by the warped reflection of her companion. Its skin was a charcoal color, its face was smooth and without a mouth, coated in glowing cracks that went down to its torso. Its empty eyes glowed a soft azure, quite the calming color. It was watching her, featureless face the picture of curiosity, furrowed brows and all. Mokou wondered if the creature behind her could sense her "condition."

"I'd ask you another question, monster, but given your answers to my previous questions you are incapable of speech, or simply choose to be rude," The reflection does nothing, "Let me get a drink, then we can fight," This time the beast nods before turning and making its way over to a dead tree. Mokou caught sight of those six limbs emerging from between the large scales of its back, and the blades that tipped them, "Quite the set of weapons you have there," The noble said between sips, "But they don't look very natural," She turned to scan the beast with her own eyes, those cracks in its skin looked far deeper and more twisted than in the water, "Who gave you those I wonder? Or rather, did you kill her?" The beast said nothing. Mokou sighed in exasperation before slowly lifting off of the ground, "Okay demon, if you want a fight, here I am."

This time she got a more direct response from the black beast. It hissed audibly as it dropped to all-fours, flexing its bladed limbs forward.

Fujiwara raised a brow, "You don't know the spell-card system, do you?" The beast growled, which earned a smirk from the noble, "Then let's see some fancy footwork shall we?" Slowly she produced a card from her pocket, which began to glow softly as she presented it to the monster, "_Limiting Edict..._"

* * *

**Warning, the rest is pointless rambling about how this all came to be.**

_This all started roughly a year ago. You see, I was sifting through the Touhou section one evening and found myself getting frustrated that at the time the first few pages were loaded with stories concerning "gappies" as Spaztique would say. While I'm sure they're wonderful stories, it wasn't necessarily the gappy thing that rustled my jimmies, rather it was the fact there were loads of them! I decided let time take its course for a week or two, only to come back to see that little changed._

_I came back, but still gappies. My jimmies now properly rustled, I set out on an epic journey to write a story that involved a native OC. Not terribly original, but I like to think I'm helping those that don't like gappy/spirited away/accidentally or magically teleported into Gensokyo stories. Now granted, I bet some of those writers are better than me, but you can only beat a dead horse for so long!_

_This took me roughly a year to develop because to be quite frank I'm a lazy person and get distracted easily. Hell, it'll probably take another year to do chapter two, the same with three, and so on. Hopefully ten-thousand words can tide you over though, assuming you liked what I have offered you._


	2. Clash! The Duel with Hunger Incarnate!

_**I put several warnings in chapter one regarding the content of this fic, if you have not read them I suggest you do so, otherwise you will waste your time with something you may potentially dislike.**_

_Sorry for the wait._

* * *

"China, look at this," Patchouli said as she gestured below. There was a large clearing, rife with destroyed branches and scorched earth. In the center lied a body, dead or alive, it piqued the pale girl's interest, "I want to have a look. In Rinnosuke's story, the Hoshoku was chasing a tengu through the woods," The two girls slowed to a halt above the site of the skirmish.

"As much as I don't want to, this may give us a chance to track down the Hoshoku. The devil-spider didn't get to finish its meal right? Should we get a good look at the body?" Meiling asked a little grimly as she stared at the broken body below.

"Time is of the essence, so just look for something that tells us where the Hoshoku went. Reimu most likely gave chase, so if we can find out where the devil-spider went we'll find Reimu... eventually," Patchouli answered as she started her descent, Meiling close behind. There were two misplaced bamboo stalks that had been ripped from the ground. They were quite large, and the fact they had been physically rooted up and thrown with enough force to pierce the earth was somewhat disconcerting. It was quite physically capable, and the Hoshoku wasn't even a youkai. Given what they knew -what Reimu knew- it was more base, primitive. Whatever the devil-spider was it was clearly ruled by instinct, in this case the instinct to consume.

Patchouli was the first to touch the ground, and already she was carefully surveying the area, "I wanted to see what Reimu didn't see," She said, "But we don't have the time for it," She finished in disappointment as she knelt next to the dead tengu girl. Gently she drug a finger across the carcass' bloody back, she could feel the scarring left by the devil-spider. Youkai regenerated quickly, fast enough that even the most grievous of wounds were rendered a moot point within seconds. However if the attacker was fast enough that moot point bought the time necessary to gain an edge, "You didn't need long, did you?" She asked the devil-spider in spirit.

Once again the pale girl found herself scanning the surrounding area. She spotted the bushes that Reimu's fantasy orb had chased the devil-spider through, she saw the site one of their brief grapples, then she saw something that really caught her eye. Eagerly Patchouli glided over to a trail of claw marks in the soft dirt, very small, but distinct, "China, I have something."

"Yeah?" Meiling called as she wandered through the seared brush, "We know where they went?"

"We know what kind of track the Hoshoku makes. It's a digitigrade," Patchouli answered, "And its prints are unique enough to track easily."

The gatekeeper rested her face in her palms, "Patchy, please assume that I have no clue as to what a digitigrade is," She responded, "Because I guarantee that I genuinely don't know half of whatever comes out of your mouth."

The pale girl sighed in irritation, "A digitigrade is an animal that stands and walks on its toes. Their prints are small, but distinct. This is how we can track it, and when we find the Hoshoku, we find Reimu."

"Why didn't you just say that?" Meiling protested, "What's the purpose of saying all these things you know I don't understand? It's not cool!"

Patchouli ignored her companion, instead choosing to try to find a rhyme or reason to the torn ground. Reimu would've flown after the Hoshoku, and the beast itself would likely either make its way through the brush or travel through the canopy. Slowly a pattern emerged, past the area where the two combatants wrestled, past the circle the Hoshoku wandered around, there was a mark on a tree. A simple claw mark, nothing too special to be honest, but what it told her was something far more important. Slowly the pale girl looked up, spotting a well-defined trail of snapped branches and scarred bark. She silently motioned for Meiling to follow and the two took off, slowly following the trail left by the devil-spider.

"You think we're getting any closer to seeing the thing with our own eyes?" Meiling asked, "I'm sick of relying on the accounts of others."

Patchouli took the lull to add to her notes, "I can't say to be honest. For all we know Reimu's dead and the Hohsoku is stalking Yukari."

"But wouldn't that mean we'd all be dead or in the outside world?" The gatekeeper asked.

"Like I said, I can't say," Patchouli said with a shrug, "Not like anyone's actually destroyed the barrier in its entirety before," However, the looming threat of such an unknown occurring added to the already substantial necessity of stopping the Hoshoku before it was too late.

Meiling popped her neck in anticipation, "All things considered, I look forward to fighting the beast."

Patchouli only offered a grim silence, _I don't think we're ready, _She thought to herself, _I don't think any amount of preparation will ready us for a direct confrontation with this great devourer._

"Patchouli?" The gatekeeper asked in concern, "We _will _win, you know that right?"

"I..." The pajama-clad magician fumbled with her hands, "I just don't know, China. For the first time in my life I don't have the answers, or even the means to find them. The Hoshoku is a wanton violation of so many things I've learned about Gensokyo, overpowering the likes of the youkai, a burning venom that accelerates the age of its living victims like magic-" She jumped slightly when Meiling placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There have been far greater threats to Gensokyo than the likes of the Hoshoku. Gods, hell ravens... _vampires_. We're smarter, we're tougher, we know how to track it. If Reimu could rip out its limbs, if it turned tail at the mere sight of Yukari, I think the best magician and martial artist in Gensokyo will be more than a match for it," Meiling allowed herself a confident smirk as she removed her hand from Patchouli's shoulder and clasped both of them behind her head, "Even if things look their bleakest, we'll find a way. We have all of Gensokyo behind us, and the Hoshoku is all alone."

Patchouli's face lifted at that, but it immediately broke when a massive plume of smoke and ember erupted in the far distance. She looked to Meiling grimly, who only returned the look in silence. They needn't say a word to one-another, trouble was quite literally on the horizon, and they needed to act. Taking off with all haste, Patchouli and Meiling prayed that the commotion was thanks to the Hoshoku, and that it was not too late.

* * *

She had wasted all her cards on the monster, still it came. She had been forced to fall back on the most base of tactics, brute force, and still it came. The demon had waded through fire, danmaku bullets, and now physical strikes, and it wouldn't go down. For the first time in a very long while, Fujiwara was terrified.

And that _enraged _her.

"Come on you bastard!"

The black beast was eager to answer the taunts, its rough skin soaking up whatever damage came its way as it barreled forward, its arachnid limbs offering a significant boost in momentum as it slammed into its prey with monstrous force. The demon's bladed limbs then quickly retracted into its back for protection as it gripped the girl's ash-colored hair and flung her into the brush.

Mokou exploded back out in a storm of flames, smashing into the devil-spider and tackling it to the ground, the momentum forcing the monster to carve through the earth and smash through several stalks of bamboo before coming to a halt. The black beast's claws immediately snapped to Mokou's neck, and before she could react it smashed its skull against hers. Again and again their heads collided, the monster failing to show neither mercy nor signs of recoil. Dazed and seeing stars, the noble managed grip the devil-spider's neck as well, and the two combatants managed to force one-another to their feet.

"Y-you're pretty good, devil-spider," Mokou began, slowly recovering from the beast's strikes to her head, "You fight like an oni," The black beast hissed in retort, shoving her back as its bladed limbs emerged from between its scales. The noble scoffed at the sight, "We already talked about this, monster, it takes more than a cut or two to take me out, and that glowing juice does little more than make a mess," The demon responded by hunkering down and rearing its bladed limbs back, but Mokou was ready. In an almost suicidal move she threw herself into the beast as it leapt forward. She barely missed the blades, and tackled the devil-spider to the ground. The patch of earth around the two combatants suddenly burst into flame, "Burn!" She could hear the searing crackles of the beasts flesh, steam hiss from the joints of its armored legs, however the devil-spider neglected to pay the flames lapping at its marred skin any mind. Rearing its hind legs back, the monster delivered a powerful kick, sending Mokou flying back.

The noble quickly caught herself mid-flight, and as she righted herself the monster hefted the dead tree it examined earlier. She was stunned at how it seemed to lift the thing with such ease, "_Maybe you are an oni,_" She muttered as she conjured some flames in her palms. If she could burn it fast enough, the tree would become brittle enough for her to punch through with minimal damage. However if she screwed up-

The devil-spider didn't wait for her to finish that thought, with a powerful heave it tossed the mass of timber with all of its might, sending it hurtling towards Mokou with alarming speed. However she was ready... at least she hoped she was. Without a second to spare she threw a hail of fireballs forward, aiming at the center of the tree. With only a meter left before it smashed into her, Fujiwara shot forward as fast as she could, raising her arms to shield her face from and debris. Thankfully the tree gave, snapping in half without any fuss and Mokou no worse for wear. Then she was hit with the force of a landslide, and she was right back to where she started. The monster gripped her neck tightly, claws threatening to pierce her windpipe.

"G-gods-forsaken monster! Why can't you just die?!" She wheezed. It was ironic, all things considered, as she had heard something similar directed at her many times over. She brought her knee up, smashing the devil-spider's gut with great force, forcing the demon to release her as it reeled back from the powerful strike. Mokou had been on her feet for less than two seconds, and already the beast was making another move. The monster's bladed limbs retracted back, shielding themselves from harm as the devil-spider put its sturdier limbs to use.

The beast now settled for attempting to simply overwhelm Fujiwara with a close-quarters, lightning offensive. Its claws slashed at her skin, it kicked her legs in an effort to trip her, smashed its armored head into hers, anything to break her stalwart defenses. The noble was having a hard time finding an opening to retaliate, the beast just moved too fast for her to catch anything, but if this kept up she wouldn't be able to strike back. With a defiant shout Mokou took a chance to turn the tide, letting the monster get in several good hits for the minute chance of breaking its offensive entirely.

Mokou threw everything she had at the beast. Flaming kicks and punches, spitting fire at its face to keep it from taking advantage of any opening she might've offered. When she punched its face though, she was greeted with a wondrous sight, a luminous blue substance shot from the cracks in its skin; blood. The demon reeled back, and Fujiwara halted her offensive when she saw the stuff coating her knuckles, in complete disbelief of what she accomplished, "If it bleeds," She looked up at the enraged devil-spider, "We can kill it!"

With an earsplitting alien roar, the beast shot forward with a speed that matched a tengu. Mokou barely managed a defense as the armored monster smashed into her with enough force to sweep her off her feet.

It hit her so hard, so fast, that she nearly blacked out from the impact. The monster charged through several trees and bamboo stalks, its arachnid limbs bursting from its back and maintaining the combatants' collective momentum. The devil-spider then jumped, gripped Mokou's legs, did a midair twirl, and smashed her into the soot-coated ground with all of its unearthly might. The noble didn't get up this time, still recovering from the initial impact. Clearly weary of its skirmish with Mokou, the devil-spider picked her up by the hair, and ended it.

***SHINK!***

***SHINK!***

***SHINK!***

Again and again, the blades of the monster drove into Mokou's body without pity or remorse. One blade went in, and immediately ripped itself out before another quickly drove into another part of her body. All six blades worked her over in a twisted, methodical, almost clockwork fashion. Mokou had lost her ability to scream, the agony overriding all of her senses. The whole time, the black beast was silent. No enraged or mirthful bellow, no effort-induced grunts or growls, just determined silence. As Mokou blacked out, she heard only one thing aside from the monster's twisted blades working her flesh.

"**NO!**"

* * *

_ Less than a minute prior..._

"You sure this isn't just Kaguya and Mokou fighting again?!" Meiling shouted as she and Patchouli darted to the battlefield as fast as they could.

"If there is so much as a remote chance it's the Hoshoku, we must take it!" The magician responded, holding a hand in front of her face to deter the smoke and ember, "If it is just the girls we go back to follow the prints, but if-" She cut herself off when she heard an alien bellow, it sounded like nothing either girl had ever heard before. Deep, blaring, and impossibly loud, suggesting a colossal profile instead of the scrawny creature Rinnosuke described.

Meiling, in spite of the urgency of the situation, allowed herself an eager laugh, "Hoshoku here we come!" The gatekeeper redoubled her speed, shooting ahead of a distressed Patchouli.

"Wait!" The magician shouted, "W-we shouldn't-!" But the wind drowned her out. Meiling dove into a smoke pillar a short distance before the heart of the blaze, why was beyond the pale girl, but still she swallowed the last remotely clean air she would breathe for a while and dove after her brazen companion, "China?!" She called, just as a prevailing wind caused the smoke to temporarily disperse. She saw Meiling crouched in some brush, and was quick to join her, "Don't do that!" Patchouli scolded, "We can't afford... to..." She trailed off as Meiling had yet to acknowledge her, instead only staring ahead at the conflict morbidly.

"_L-look,_" Meiling whispered, raising a finger and pointing forward. Patchouli followed her gaze, and found herself equally stupefied. Smashing into Mokou with all its might was... no, it was impossible, "_Th-the Hoshoku, i-it looks just like-_"

"_I KNOW!_" Patchouli cut her off harshly, "_But it's not!_" The pajama-clad librarian and her companion returned their collective gaze back to the Hoshoku, just in time to see that the devil-spider was working over Fujiwara with its six blades.

"**NO!**" Patchouli was going to scream first, but Meiling beat her to it. She shot from the brush with fists clenched, charging at the black monster. The Hoshoku tossed Mokou's mutilated body aside and turned to face Meiling just in time for her to greet it with a punch.

Meiling brought her fist into the Hoshoku's gut, its rough flesh warping from the force of the impact. The devil-spider let out a pained gargling sound as all the air was forced from its lungs, too stunned to move, too stunned to _breathe_. The gatekeeper allowed herself a smirk of satisfaction, "I am Hong Meiling, and I am the one who will make you suffer for all the lives you've ended, _devil-spider_," She snarled, wrenching her fist from the Hoshoku's gut. The beast let out an agonized howl and reeled back several meters, the deep depression of Meiling's fist impeding its breathing. The gatekeeper charged forward once more, bringing her fist into an upward arc, colliding with the devil-spider's chin. The monster, stunned from the blow to its head, was defenseless as Meiling supplemented with a quick and powerful kick, hurling it into the brush.

"Is that all?" Meiling asked bitterly, "Is this the monster that brought Hakurei Reimu to her knees?" The crumpled heap of the Hoshoku struggled back to its feet, clutching the hole in its gut. Both her and Patchouli watched morbidly -almost turning away- as the monster dug its claws into the depression, _forcing _the warped flesh back into place, bones cracking audibly as it did so, "Patchouli, get Mokou's body out of the line of fire, I'll deal with the Hoshoku."

Unwilling to let Meiling take on the Hoshoku alone, but equally unwilling to leave Fujiwara's body vulnerable and in the open, Patchouli opted to comply with Meiling's wishes and get it out of the way as fast as possible. It seemed like a waste of time though, the girl was dead- then she remembered, the Hourai elixir; the drink of immortality. Get Mokou out of danger, let her body heal, and she'll be as good as new and utterly pissed in due time. More motivated than ever, Patchouli carefully emerged from the brush, eyes locked on the audibly panting Hoshoku. It stared right back, like it saw her as the bigger threat than Meiling. Not an unsafe assumption.

"Hey bug! We're not done yet!" Meiling goaded, earning back the Hoshoku's full attention, "What's more valuable to you? A human, or a youkai?" The devil-spider hunkered down, hissing audibly at her as its hind legs tensed, "_That's it, choose the bigger dish,_" She muttered just as the black beast smashed into her.

Meanwhile Patchouli was struggling to drag Fujiwara into cover. She'd moved a grand total of half a meter, and already she was breaking a sweat, "Y-you're not even that big!" She frantically glanced to the Hoshoku and Meiling; the devil-spider put all six of its bladed limbs to work, striking and lunging with an ungodly speed and coordination. From the looks of things Meiling was struggling to keep from getting hit, unwilling to risk finding out what the venom of a youkai-killer did to an actual youkai, "Come on Patchy... just a couple of meters and you can help China!" With a strained groan the pale girl returned to her valiant struggle, barely managing to drag Mokou along. Suddenly Meiling was flung back into view and into a large tree, Patchouli having a front-row seat. She stared, wide-eyed, as the tree shattered from the impact and came crashing down on top of Meiling.

Patchouli just about wet herself when the Hoshoku tackled her to the ground, easily pinning her before she could even process what had happened to her. The magician wasn't physically capable enough to put up any sort of fight, and the beast was careful enough to keep her limbs pinned and her face buried in the ash, therefore she resigned herself to helplessly squirming in the Hoshoku's grip in some futile attempt to get free. She squealed as the monster's claws sank into her forearms, and two blades took their place at either side of her head, "China!" Patchouli cried out helplessly. The pale girl could feel the devil-spider's hot, enraged breath on the nape of her neck, and she could only imagine the inevitable blade rearing up, ready to split her open and consume her innards. A tight flurry of danmaku bullets shot from the smoldering brush, all colliding with the Hoshoku's cracked face. The devil-spider let out a warped bellow to answer the sudden attack, its proximity threatening to break Patchouli's eardrums.

"Take this you over-sized bug!" The danmaku fire was quickly supplemented with the same shattered tree that fell on Meiling. The Hoshoku was sent careening into the brush, and the gatekeeper was on her companion in a minute, "Patchy! You alright?!" She frantically pulled the pale girl into a sitting position, "Patchy?"

Patchouli groaned, "I-I'm fine," She answered, "Just a little shaken."

Meiling allowed herself a laugh as the Hoshoku stirred beneath the shattered tree, "Maybe we aren't ready after all..." She said sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

"We managed to save Mokou from whatever the Hoshoku does to all its other victims, we did what we came to do," Patchouli responded as she climbed to her feet, glancing at Mokou's body, "I'm not letting you face that monster alone, we can just lure the Hoshoku away from Mokou's body if we maintain a tight offens-" She cut herself off as the devil-spider threw the tree off itself, "Ready?" Patchouli's pale lips pulled into a smirk as she drew a card.

Meiling returned the gesture, "Let's do it," Both girls turned to the enraged monster, only to be faced with a grisly sight. The Hoshoku's skull had totally caved in, by all rights it should be dead. Instead, it stood before them, wheezing loudly, its armored skull warped irreparably, "Sh-shouldn't it be dead?!" Meiling asked, completely bewildered by what she was seeing.

"I'm afraid my original assumption was far from the reality," Patchouli began as the cracks in the Hoshoku's flesh began to glow brightly, an azure fume pouring out, "This monstrosity is leagues beyond any beast, even the ones in Jigoku," The youkai-eater hunkered down, emitting a series of strained and agonized sounds as the smoke continued to pour out, cloaking the monster in a thick veil. She could hear the sounds of bones breaking, flesh tearing, and within the veil shone a very bright light, "_What is...?_" Before Patchouli could process any kind of answer the light violently flickered out.

The smoke slowly dispersed, revealing the same black monster, now equipped with a completely healed head, glowing cracks long gone, "_Impossible,_" Meiling muttered. The Hoshoku's stone scales now extended down each of its limbs, and its arachnid limbs appeared larger and sturdier than before, the blades gaining a serrated edge. Its overall build had warped as well, the once shattered skull had become more angular, and overall its body had beefed up. It was like the monster was evolving, improving itself based on how it was damaged last, "What the hell was that?! What the hell is going on?!" Meiling shouted, shifting into a more defensive stance as the rejuvenated devil-spider roared madly at the pair.

"I have no idea..." Patchouli answered weakly, far from excited in the face of an enemy that utterly destroyed her expectations within seconds, "Not an animal, and no youkai puts on that kind of show to regenerate," The Hoshoku beat its chest in a provoking manner, goading the girls to make the first move. Patchouli wasted no time lifting off the ground, "It may not be enough to stop you, but clearly it is an adequate distraction!" The pale girl held out her card to the devil-spider once more, "Wood Sign: Sylphae Horn!" The wind suddenly billowed madly, causing the trees to chorus as their leaves were torn from their branches. Just before they hit the ground, they stopped completely, simply hovering above the ground. Then the leaves shone brightly before rapidly shooting toward the Hoshoku in a golden torrent. The monster bellowed in a combination of rage, pain, and annoyance, swinging its limbs madly in an attempt to impede the storm of searing leaves.

"So how are we going to put it down?!" Meiling shouted as she dug into her pockets, "Because as far as I'm concerned we need to-" With another enraged shriek the devil-spider charged forward, picking up the tree that crushed its skull mid-stride, not slowing for a second. Meiling immediately took off as the Hoshoku heaved the broken tree with all its might, just barely dodging the hunk of wood. As the tree rocket off into the background, Meiling finally managed to find an appropriate card, "Colorful Sign: Extreme Color Typhoon!" A rainbow of danmaku fire pelted the Hoshoku from above, joining the golden leaves in the brutal assault.

"Given that we have no idea what we're up against, I see little loss in attempting to get Reimu or Sanae to purify it!" Patchouli managed to retort, discarding her spent card and hastily drawing another, "Wood Sign: Green Storm!" Once again the wind billowed, stripping the trees of even more leaves and nearly swallowing the Hoshoku in a golden tornado. She could see its wildly flailing form within the torrent, like it thought that it could stop the danmaku if it hit first.

"Good thing it isn't a Tuesday!" Meiling said with a laugh, discarding her spent card, "If the monster could stand Mokou's flames, I doubt it would be affected by yours!" Her hands fumbled about in her pockets, but unlike her companion, the gatekeeper could only produce pocket lint and a hairpin. Meiling gradually paled as she slowly processed the message her findings offered, "Shit! I didn't pack any extra cards!"

If Patchouli could roar, she would've, "If we survive this, I'm going to kill you China! Then I'm going to make you a jiangshi so I can kill you again!" She gasped when the sounds of danmaku fire died and her card stopped glowing, effectively spent. Slowly both girls turned their collective gaze toward the now delirious Hoshoku. The black beast stumbled about dizzily, still swinging its claws randomly in an attempt to stop the nonexistent bullets. After about half a minute of stumbling about, the youkai-eater collapsed, clutching its head as it squirmed on the forest floor in discomfort, "I... I-I guess we won? We overpowered it?" Patchouli asked.

Meiling allowed herself a stupefied laugh, "Heh, we did... didn't we?" The gatekeeper yanked Patchouli into a tight embrace, "We won! We won we won we won we woooon!" She cried before breaking down into laughter, "I mean, we didn't kill it, but this means we _can _come out on top! We can keep the monster at bay until it starves or we find the way to kill it!"

_In a way, this is a pity,_ Patchouli thought as Meiling continued to cradle her tightly, still lost in her mirth,_ The Hoshoku is such a fascinating creature, I would have lauded studying it. But for the good of all, we'll have to put it down._

Meiling's celebration immediately died down when a third party joined in on the merriment, both girls looked at the newcomer who was dancing around them gracefully, still laughing like nothing had changed. Given her diminutive size and wings, the best bet was this girl was a fairy. Her short hair was a vibrant shade of green, which was tied into a lopsided pigtail with a yellow ribbon. She was clad in a simple blue dress with a white trim and sleeves, topped off with a yellow ascot matching her ribbon,"Hey, I don't think it's safe for you to be here," Meiling told the girl.

"Why?" The fairy whined, "We were having so much fun! We were laughing, and hugging, and dancing!" She giggled as she started floating gracefully around the two girls again, "I mean, it's not nice to laugh at the not-alive below, but fun is fun right?"

Patchouli managed to worm her way out of Meiling's arms, "Who are you talking about? What do you mean by '_not-alive_'?" She asked the fairy pointedly.

"The black guy resting down there of course! Who else would I be talking about?" The girl answered cheerily, "I mean, any fairy can tell! That thing down there isn't like the rest of us! Not natural, not natural at all!"

Meiling leaned down to Patchouli's level, "_Are we really listening to what a _fairy_ has to say?_" She whispered into her companion's ear softly, "_They're not the brightest stars in the sky._"

"_Fairies are more in tune with nature than most beings, I'm inclined to believe them when they call something unnatural,_" Patchouli whispered back in response before looking back to the green-haired fairy, "What is your name?"

"That's nice of you to ask, purple lady! Everybody calls me Daiyousei, it's not my name, but I don't mind so long as people remember me!" She answered happily, now floating upside-down. She thrust out her hand, "What's your name?"

Patchouli tentatively took the fairy's hand, letting her shake it vigorously, earning a grunt from the magician, "M-my companion goes by China."

"Actually, it's-"

"And I am Patchouli Knowledge," She continued in spite of her companion's protest, "A pleasure."

Daiyousei furrowed her brow, "Pactouili?" She asked, "Pac... Patch..."

The pajama-clad magician sighed, "If it makes things easier, you may call me Patchy."

"Okay Patchy-chan!" The fairy chirped, "So why you laughing at the poor not-alive? He may not be like us, but he still has feelings..." She trailed off as she glanced at the resting Hoshoku below.

"The 'not-alive' is more colloquially known as the Hoshoku," Patchouli retorted, "It is a predator of all-things, man, beast, even the likes of the youkai," Her gaze joined Daiyousei's in appraising the heap that was the Hoshoku, "Can you elaborate on how it is unnatural?"

"Well..." Daiyousei began, "Hosho-kun's different from the animals or any of us, kind of like how a house is different from a tree, even if they're made up of the same things. Sure it's made of natural stuff, but... but it's not natural itself, you know?" She asked, "He's not... he's not made like we are. You can see all the different parts of him, like a house, instead of it all blending together like us."

"I think I understand," Meiling began, "A house is artificial, it may be made of natural materials, but that does not make it natural itself. The Hoshoku is artificial. It was not born, rather it was made," She gave her companion a dark look, "Sound familiar?"

Patchouli answered with a shallow nod, "But that does not mean it's _our _artificial being. He was totally incapable of thinking for himself, he'd just sit there forever and collect dust until someone told him to do something. The Hoshoku on the other hand is clearly acting of its own accord, it is a thinking creature. It retreats when outmatched, from what we've seen it clearly operates like an ambush predator, and if it thinks there is a chance of victory it _will _fight one-on-one battles, but no more than that."

"But it didn't retreat when we showed up," Meiling countered, "In fact it looked more pissed than ever when it saw us. If that thing's the same creature Remilia and Flandre abused night and day, the same broken heap we ordered to sink to the bottom of the Sanzu, this is _our _faults. Yours, Alice's, Sakuya's, and mine."

"I refuse to believe that he's capable of all this," Patchouli said, "It took days for him to recover from the wounds he would receive, not seconds! He did not have armored scales or arthropod limbs bearing metal blades!" She caught herself then. She was getting angry, talking about that poor little dolly after so long. It was still a touchy subject back at the mansion. Generally it was accepted to simply not talk about it, let bygones be bygones, ultimately forget he even existed, but...

Patchouli's gaze narrowed as she further scrutinized the Hoshoku's body.

"The Sanzu gets a lot of traffic," Meiling reasoned as Daiyousei floated out of view, "One of the shinigami could have fished him out, a river serpent could've coughed him up, or a malevolent soul might be taking his body for a joyride. Or assuming none of that is correct, he probably did the only thing we know he did of his own free will, try to go home."

"But that still does not account for the mutations!" Patchouli started again, emotions bubbling forth once more, "The only way we'll know is if-" She immediately fell silent when a guttural rumble followed by cheery laughter emerged from below. Paling beyond what was commonly accepted as possible, Patchouli and Meiling looked back below. There was the Hoshoku, back on its feet, tiredly following Daiyousei around the smoldering clearing. It made many aggressive sounds, but it moved like it was utterly exhausted.

"I don't think you're too nasty, Hosho-kun!" Daiyousei told the devil-spider, "Lots of good things aren't natural, like clothes!" Her words earned a hiss from the Hoshoku, which for some reason put the fairy in deep thought, "Maybe... maybe you just need some friends!" Smiling brightly he started off, beckoning for the youkai-eater to follow, "Follow me Hosho-kun! I'll introduce you to Cirno, I'm sure she'd love to meet you!" The devil-spider's bladed limbs retracted into its body as it dropped to all fours to follow. It paused just before it disappeared into the stripped forest canopy and spared one last glance at Patchouli and Meiling, "C'mon Hosho-kun!" The fairy called from the woods. Making a sound of compliance the Hoshoku pursued Daiyousei out of the smoldering clearing and into the stripped woods.

"We're really letting it go?" Meiling asked, "This is going to come back and bite us when we need to find that monster again."

Patchouli let out a shaky sigh, "Knowing the Hoshoku's reputation as a youkai-eater, finding him- _it _will be easier next time around. We can afford to let it go with the fairy, it won't be able to get them if it tried. Plus if something goes wrong, we can count on our little friend to let us know."

"Patchy..." Meiling began somberly, "I think it _was _him."

The pajama-clad bookkeeper's pale fists clenched as she stared at her feet, "I... I don't-" She sighed, "I think it was too..."

* * *

With an audible groan Reimu stirred in her cushion of dew-coated grass. Her dress was ruined by the Hoshoku, but she was more worried about something else entirely. Hesitantly she raised her hands to her face, only to be greeted by the same slender, healthy, and youthful hands she fell asleep with, not a single wrinkle or liver spot in sight, "Oh you did not do that when you stabbed me," She immediately sat up, ripping off her sleeves to further inspect her skin. Aside from some dry blood and a cut or two there was nothing that indicated she was poisoned by the Hoshoku, "You little bastard," It sucked the venom from her, it didn't kill her because Yukari ordered otherwise. As thankful as she was, there was something about it that downright insulted her. It was like she was being coddled as if she were an infant. But regardless of that, the shrine maiden was eager to rejoin the fray, and if Rinnosuke told his favorite customer Marisa, her big mouth would make sure all of Gensokyo knew about it.

Gingerly lifting herself to her feet, Reimu inspected her wound. It sealed up for the most part, although that scar would stick with her for the remainder of her life. With a sigh she looked ahead, where she saw the Hoshoku wander off before passing out. There was a dead tanuki lying in the spot the monster stood, unspoiled by whatever dark art the Hoshoku put its victims through. The black beast likely left it for her as some sort of peace-offering so it wouldn't piss off Yukari... gods the demon was whipped. Ignoring the offering she started through the forest at an even pace, scanning the trees for any sign of the creature. There was little to find, it seemed that the Hoshoku made sure to cover its tracks this time. Instead, Reimu spotted a few smoke plumes in the distance, and taking it as a sign of trouble, the maiden lifted off sped toward the smoke with all haste.

As Reimu continued toward the smoke she noticed the stripped trees and bamboo, like some leviathan stopped by to graze the treetops. Eventually she ran straight into an area that looked like it had seen a forest fire. The ground was white as ash, the plants totally black and cooked all the way through. She could see the torn earth and uprooted trees. This wasn't a forest fire, this was a battlefield, "If I didn't know better, I'd say the Hoshoku ran into Mokou," There was nothing to base that on, but given how contained to now-dead blaze seemed, it wasn't an unsafe assumption, and if that was the case it was just another enemy for the Hoshoku. Given the size of the battlefield it was obvious that Fujiwara and the Hoshoku had quite the rumble, it wouldn't have gone unnoticed by the inhabitants of Gensokyo. More and more people would be learning about the beast, which meant more power fielding against it.

Then came the pressing issue of how Fujiwara actually fared against the likes of the youkai-eater. Those extra blades complicated matters in a close confrontation, the beast seemed rather ignorant of pain, and the only being it was intimidated by so far was Yukari. Mokou could take a hit, she could die and come back in a few hours if her wounds were minor. However the youkai could not die conventionally either and the Hoshoku seemed to bring them down with the same brute force they were traditionally impervious to, who was to say that Mokou would fare any better against whatever powers the devil-spider wielded against its prey? This whole mess reeked of something far darker at work.

_"-you are far more intelligent than you make yourself appear to be."_

Yukari's words last night bothered Reimu as well, she saw much more in the devil-spider than the shrine maiden did, so much so that she made a _deal_ with it rather than just giving it a nasty look and sending it packing. Either the gap-youkai wanted to prolong this incident for her own amusement, or one of the strongest beings in Gensokyo felt she would not be able to stop the Hoshoku if it forced her to take action.

Now that was a thought that terrified her.

Reimu was torn from her thoughts when she heard a pained groan emerge from behind a smoldering tree. Hesitantly, Reimu produced a homing talisman and willed her yin-yang orbs into existence as she slowly strafed around the tree. She was ready for whoever it was to attack her, and as she continued around the thick stump, she spotted the mystery party, "M-Mokou?"

The noble shifted tiredly before opening her eyes, "Reimu-san...?" She asked weakly, "Hey, how's it going?" She asked casually as the shrine maiden scrambled to her side.

"Fujiwara-sama, what happened to you?" Reimu asked worriedly as she inspected Mokou's wounds. She was riddled with scars and a few holes, it looked like she'd been put into one of Remilia's iron maidens. Then Reimu moved the noble's arm, which had been covering her bloody abdomen, "Oh shi- holy- geez!" Reimu shouted as she reeled back at the sight. It was nothing special, just a colossal, tattered hole that looked like it got worked over several times by a set of blades, the maiden could actually spot the ash-laden soil on the other side. Quickly recovering Reimu knelt next to the ash-haired girl, "H-Hoshoku?"

"What?" Mokou asked tiredly, "Of course not, what kind of animal would think I was prey? They'd have to be suicidal," She sighed tiredly, "That thing wasn't an animal, not even like the ones from Jigoku. Not a human, not a youkai, that thing was... I don't even know what that damned devil-spider could possibly be."

Reimu's eyes narrowed when she heard that, "Devil-spider," She parroted, "The humans call the black beast the Hoshoku."

Mokou groaned, "That is the most unoriginal name I've ever heard in my immortal life," She complained.

"Is this really the time to talk about more appropriate names?" Reimu asked in annoyance.

"Well why not?" Mokou retorted, "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon, not with how the... ugh, _Hoshoku_, worked me over," She said venomously.

The shrine maiden smirked in amusement, "Does the name bother you that much?"

The noble snorted rudely, "Of course not, I could care less. But unless you have something for us to do in the meantime while I heal, I'm going to whine about trivialities," She answered tartly.

"Well, there isn't much to do out here. Come on, we should go to Eintei so Eirin-san can have a look at you," Reimu said as she hoisted a protesting Mokou over her shoulder, "You ready?"

"No! Why do I have to go to Eintei?!" Fujiwara whined, "I'm in no condition to fight that smug bitch Kaguya!"

"I'll make sure Kaguya keeps her distance," Reimu smirked as she started walking, "But if you want, I could just leave you here while I go after the Hoshoku," She offered smugly. All the noble did in retort was mumble in consent, "Then quit your whining and let's go, the sooner we get there, the sooner _we _can hunt the Hoshoku."

Thankfully Eintei was not far from the scorched clearing, at best the trek wouldn't even take an hour. As Mokou's strength slowly recovered, the pair had eventually hazarded turning the walk into a flight. In the meantime Reimu shared her experience with the youkai-eater.

"I can't believe Yukari covered your ass," The noble growled, "Am I not worth saving or something?"

"You'd just get back up," Reimu retorted.

"Do you have any idea how much dying hurts?!" Mokou shouted back, "It's sure as hell not as peaceful as you think!"

Reimu almost snorted in defiance, "I don't plan on dying in battle," She chose to say, "I'm going to die in my shrine, knowing that I've helped Gensokyo as much as possible, knowing I can count on my successor to take up the very duties my predecessor passed to me," Still though, Fujiwara continued to whine out of boredom, much to the shrine maiden's chagrin.

The pair bickered and argued above the trees for all to hear for several minutes, getting many strange looks from the local youkai. One shouted at them, asking if they were married or something. Reimu had to pull over and promptly put the brazen upstart out of its misery. When prompted by Mokou when they took off again, the youkai was, "A threat whose power would rival the gods if left unchecked," Fujiwara was oddly silent after that.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Reimu spotted a familiar building, "Look, there's Eintei," She landed down on the forest path below, eager to take a break from all the flying-

"**Freeze!**" Reimu and Mokou tensed when several rabbits burst from the brush from all sides, totally surrounding them. Each one was armed with a pistol or rifle aimed squarely at them and looked more than willing to pull the trigger, "Oh it's just Mokou, false alarm everybody!" All the rabbits sighed and relaxed as they slowly shrunk back into the bushes, muttering to one another casually.

"False alarm?!" The noble parroted angrily, "I'll show you bastards a false alarm after I get out of Eintei!"

"Do they always do this?" Reimu asked, "They didn't when I visited last time."

"No," Fujiwara responded bitterly, "With all the killings, the rabbits have stepped up their security. Your devil-spider is making my quest for vengeance a lot harder, now Kaguya knows whenever I-"

"How'd you manage to rope Reimu into your petty revenge scheme Mokou?" Leaning against one of Eintei's support beams was Reisen Udongen Inaba, fugitive and saleswoman, "You must have quite the silver tongue."

"I'm not here for revenge you damned rabbit!" The noble spat back, "I got worked over by that black monster you're all so scared of!" Reisen raised a skeptical brow, looking to Reimu to corroborate the story.

"She speaks the truth. Fujiwara-sama confronted and was promptly brought down by the Hoshoku, I need Eirin to test her blood in the event that she's been poisoned."

"Poison?!" Mokou blanched, "That would've been nice to know earlier, Hakurei!"

"I didn't want you to panic," Reimu retorted evenly.

Mokou squirmed in the shrine maiden's grip, "Well that's good because I'm not panicking, I'm pissed!" She managed to smack Reimu in the back of the head, "When my ass is on the line, I want to know about it!"

"You'd get back up."

Mokou screamed in rage and exasperation before finally falling limp, losing the will to protest further.

"Okay," Reisen said in acquiesce, "After seeing miss high and mighty here throw a tantrum, I'm inclined to believe that this Hoshoku killed her," She looked over her shoulder, toward Eintei's front door, "Hey Tewi-chan! Eirin-san's got some visitors!"

"Business or pleasure?!" A childish voice called back.

Reisen gave Reimu and Mokou a quick once-over, "Both!"

Out came a much smaller rabbit, "Eirin-san's only taking visitors if..." Tewi trailed off when she spotted Mokou. Slowly her faced warped into a mischievous grin, "Oh this is too rich, so who did her in?" She asked with a laugh.

"The Hoshoku," Reimu answered darkly.

Tewi glanced to her larger colleague, "The what?"

"That black monster that has Aya rolling around in a pool of money," Reisen answered, "The one that jumped Eirin-san a few days ago. Apparently Mokou's been poisoned with some venom that Reimu-san wants checked out."

"Oh, patients then," Tewi responded dumbly, "Well in that case come on in, I'll have a room made up for her shortly."

Reimu moved to follow, but was stopped by Reisen, "You know your wife's looking for you, right?."

"_Oh geez,_" The shrine maiden growled lowly, "For the last time, she's not my wife, she's a mooch that I can't get rid of! I even poisoned her drink once but all she did was ask for more!"

"Murder's not a good way to settle your marriage issues Reimu-san," Reisen retorted with jarring seriousness, "I know this nice bear-youkai I dated for a while that makes his living as a therapist, if you want I can arrange a meeting-"

"WE! ARE! NOT! MARRIED!" Reimu spat back before shoving her way past Reisen.

"Fine! But when she starts looking for other women you'll be sorry you didn't try to work it out!"

Reimu grumbled angrily in response, muttering various indecencies as she followed Tewi's retreating form, "I swear Aya, after this Hoshoku crisis is dealt with I'm going to kill you for writing that article."

Tewi guided Reimu to a small room with an equally small cot, "Put her there, Erin will be with you shortly," She said as she strolled out, closing the door behind her.

The shrine maiden complied, gently setting Mokou down onto the spartan cot, "If the monster's venom hasn't effected you by now, you're probably fine," She told the noble.

"Then why are we here?" Fujiwara asked, "Why aren't we just hunting the Hoshoku?"

"You're in no condition to fight right now, so in the meantime I want to see if you've got some venom in you," Was Reimu's response. She figured that either the hourai elixir was impeding the monster's venom, or for some reason Mokou was immune altogether. That wasn't what Reimu was interested in though, she wanted an anti-venom, in case she or anybody else got poisoned by the devil-spider again. As the shrine maiden mused the door slid open, "Eirin-san-"

"Reimu-chan!"

The shrine maiden was promptly tackled with unprecedented force, "Wh-what the-?!" Then she got a good look at her cheerful attacker, "Suika?! Get off of me!"

"I was so worried about you Reimu!" Suika wept openly against her victim's chest, "When you didn't come home I thought-"

"It's not _your _home! It's _my _shrine!" Reimu retorted in annoyance as she continued to squirm in the lolita oni's grip, "And why are you here? Weren't you at that reunion with the other Divas?"

Suika sniffled as she climbed off of Reimu, "W-well yeah, but then Yuugi and Kasen got into a fight and there was nothing left to drink so I went home. But you weren't there to make dinner, you didn't even restock the cellar! I thought that maybe you went to the human village, but you weren't there either. I went to Marisa's, but you weren't there!" She broke back down into tears, "I-I thought you were in trouble! M-Ma-Marisa said you went after some monster and I... and I..." She trailed off as she yanked Reimu back into a tight embrace, "I'm just so glad you're okay!"

"Okay, enough with the tears!" Reimu ordered, "You're embarrassing yourself, _and _me! More importantly, you're being annoying!"

"_Auuu..._" Suika whined, "You're so cold-hearted Reimu-chan..."

"And stop acting like we're a couple or something!" Reimu continued, "I swear ever since Aya sent us that copy of her paper-"

"But I love you, Reimu!"

The shrine maiden snarled lowly as she grabbed the drunkard oni by her tattered shirt, "Enough Suika!"

"Calm down Reimu, Suika only did what any good spouse would do," A new party said.

Reimu glared at the newcomer as she released Suika, "Eirin," She said flatly as she channeled all of her annoyance at the doctor.

"Reimu," The Lunarian responded with the same evenness, "Did Reisen-chan tell you about her ex? He's a very good therapist, I highly recommend him."

"We're not married!" Reimu shouted back, earning a neutered whine from Suika.

"Denial of your true feelings is not healthy Reimu-san," Eirin chided.

The shrine maiden snorted rudely, "So I've heard."

Eirin sighed as she sat down at Mokou's bedside, "So I hear you got in a fight with the Hoshoku," She stated as she produced a thread, "Hold out your arm please."

Hesitantly the noble complied, resting her forearm on Eirin's lap, "Yep," She stated simply.

"From the looks of things it... what do the outside humans say? '_Ripped you a new one_'?" The lunarian prodded as she tightly wrapped the thread around Mokou's bicep.

"Yep," The noble answered simply once more, "So what're you going to do to me?" She yelped as Eirin stuck her with the syringe, "Wh-what the hell are you doing?" She asked, too scared to move and risk hurting herself.

"Getting a blood sample," The doctor answered evenly, "I'll just need to do this a few more times," Mokou did not look pleased, but complied nonetheless. The process repeated three more times, the fruit being four vials filled with Mokou's blood, "That should do it," Eirin said, "That wasn't too bad was it?"

"_No..._" Fujiwara muttered in a neutered tone.

"What do we do now?" Reimu asked, eager to hear what Eirin made of the venom.

"Well for one your blood's purple, Mokou," Eirin observed, "Clearly you have something in you. Just need to put the sample under a microscope and get a better look," She rose from her seat, "I'll be right back," She told the trio as she strolled to some unknown part of Eintei.

"What's a microscope?" Fujiwara asked, earning a helpless shrug from Reimu.

After quite the wait, Eirin returned, tossing a clipboard into Mokou's lap, "You've got quite the microbial monsters running around in your blood, Mokou," She stated evenly.

The noble neglected to respond as she stared at the drawing on the clipboard, "Is that a snake?" She asked incredulously, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Hoshoku's venom is one of the most chaotic and diverse concoctions I have ever examined. We have hemotoxins, neurotoxins, proteolytic toxins, and so much more. This stuff is made to attack the brain, the nerves, the muscles, just about everything in the body," The doctor began, "When injected, the immediate effects are usually stiffness of the joints, searing pain throughout the body..." She was getting visibly tense as she continued, "Then a mass-cellular breakdown that manifests via accelerated aging."

"How do you know all that?" Reimu asked pointedly, the listed symptoms _exactly_ what she had seen and experienced, "Have you examined the Hoshoku's victims before?"

Eirin's eyes narrowed, "No, I've gotten samples of venom just like this in years past, long before the Hoshoku's appearance. However the fact this latest sample comes from the Hoshoku, a creature that is by no means related to the typical carriers, is what concerns me. No other being in the world, even the outside world, carries a venom compound this deadly, this highly evolved."

"Well spit it out already!" Mokou demanded with both eagerness and dread, "The sooner we know the sooner we can get a cure, right?"

Eirin shook her head in exasperation, "I've tried before, Mokou, you can't get an anti-venom out of the Mishaguji."

…

Silence. Nobody knew what to say, or think, still trying to process the implications of this. Finally, after what seemed like forever, somebody had the courage to break the silence.

"The mishaguji?" Suika asked, "You're talking about those curse gods that Suwako and Kanako have at their beck and call, right? Does this mean that the Hoshoku is _their_ work?"

"I can't say," The lunarian responded, her voice clearly unsettled, "But the fact the Hoshoku's venom and the venom of the mishaguji directly mirror one-another cannot be denied. There are no deviations, no differences, they are exactly the same. _Period_."

"I'm going to love hearing Yasaka justify this," Reimu began darkly, "I'll admit right away that siccing an all-consuming monster on all of Gensokyo isn't their usual MO, however I'm not about to sit idly by if the connection is there!" She looked to Mokou, "How long until you're finished healing?"

"I dunno, probably another hour," Fujiwara answered, "We going to the Moriya shrine?"

The glint of bitter determination in Reimu's eyes served as the answer.

* * *

Such a nice, quiet day today. The birds chirped in a lively chorus, Sanae was making her runs to the human village, Suwako was still locked in her room for some unforeseen reason, not a single thing could ruin this day.

Kanako sputtered in surprise when she was promptly slapped in the face of a newspaper, "Wh-what the-?!" She quickly swept aside the thing, glaring at the cheerful offender before her, "Shameimaru-san," She greeted drolly, "To what to I owe this _unwanted_ visit?" She did her best to express that the Tengu girl wasn't welcome in the slightest.

Instead Aya's grin seemed to grow wider, "Just giving you a complimentary copy of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper!" She answered with a suspicious level of cheer, "With all the nasty happenings in Gensokyo, I thought you could benefit from knowing ahead of time who's out to get you!"

The wind goddess furrowed her brow, choosing to ignore the possible heretic comment for now, "So I just get this copy of your paper, the paper you'd do anything to sell, even going as far as to make up scandalous lies about how my sweet Sanae is a whore, for free?" Still bewildered by this left field act of charity, Kanako slowly glanced at the paper, easily spotting the head article, "_Hoshoku Headcount Grows; Youkai Added to List of Deceased,_" She read... wait, youkai? Kanako's eyes shot back up at Aya, "Someone's running around and_ killing_ youkai?"

"I know right? It almost sounds too extravagant to be true, but according to Rinnosuke-kun and a local bear, the Hoshoku's as real as you or me! I swear, this is the best thing that's ever happened in Gensokyo, my paper's selling like hotcakes! Subscriptions are through the roof, everybody who's anybody is paying me to keep them up to date on our latest threat!" Aya let out a proud sigh, "The little monster's been so good to me. A true gentleman, I swear when I meet the Hoshoku for myself I'm gonna slap a big wet one on him!"

Kanako raised a brow, "You think this... Hoshoku's going to take that sitting down?"

The tengu reporter shrugged helplessly, "Probably not, but I think he deserves a thank you present for all the money he's made for me," She suddenly readied her camera, "Hey can I have a picture or two for the obituaries when the Hoshoku guts you in your sleep?"

"No!" Aya snapped a couple of pictures anyway, "Okay you little tabloid-writing parasite!" Kanako threw the paper into the tengu's face, "I'll give you two seconds to clear the shrine before I feed you to my snakes!"

Aya casually tossed the paper back into Kanako's arms, "Before I pack and leave I better warn you: the humans made a shrine to the thing."

The goddess' eyes nearly bugged out of her head, "_What?_"

"Some of the humans think that the Hoshoku's some vengeful spirit or angry god," Aya answered evenly, "The shrine's a cute little thing, pretty small, but it sees a lot of traffic."

"I'm afraid it's true."

Kanako turned to face the new voice, her own pride, Sanae, "You've got to be kidding me," She said to the wind priestess, "There's seriously a shrine down there to a monster that only showed up-" The goddess paused to skim the newspaper, "-_three days ago?!_"

"I was going to ask for your permission to seek the out Hoshoku for myself..." Sanae began, "However given the Hoshoku's reputation as a devourer of Youkai, and the fact it managed to beat Reimu in their first battle-"

"Oh this is great!" Aya cried, "Just imagine reading _that_ in the paper too! _Victory Streak Ended! Reimu Defeated by Up-and-Coming Super-Predator!_" She called out theatrically, almost as if the paper was in her hand, "I've gotta jet and get back home! I'm not wasting another second I could be using to write up the article to end all articles!" The tengu immediately sprouted her wings and readied for take-off, "Oh and keep the paper!" Then just like that, with one mighty flap of her wings she was gone, both Kanako and Sanae scanned the skies, spotting a black blur carve its way through the clouds at an impossible speed.

Kanako regarded Sanae darkly, "The Hoshoku beat Hakurei?" She asked, silently begging she heard wrong.

Sanae nodded her head shallowly, "From what I've heard from her best friend Marisa, I'm afraid so," She answered weakly, "I fear for you and Suwako-sama, if what the humans are saying is true, that this is an evil god-"

"Don't say that, don't think about that, not even for a moment!" Kanako scolded, "This monstrosity that has taken Gensokyo by storm is no god, I should know, I am one!" It was starting to sound like she was talking to herself more than Sanae, "I need you to find Hakurei, and anyone else who has taken on the Hoshoku and lived. If we're going to rip this... this _weed _out by the roots, we need to band together!"

The wind priestess nodded dutifully, before it quickly fell back to worry, "H-how is Suwako-sama?" She asked softly.

Kanako's stern face fell, "She has yet to leave her room," Was the answer.

"Do you think she knows about the Hoshoku? You said it showed up three days ago, that is very close to when she started acting so..." She trailed off, letting Kanako fill in the gap for herself.

"I don't know Sanae, I just don't know," The wind goddess responded as she turned on her heel, making her way back toward the Moriya shrine, "But I intend to find out."

* * *

"Why are we out here, Patchy?" Meiling asked her companion as she scratched at the rope that still held the Hoshoku's long discarded leg to her person, "We're wasting time visiting the spot where-"

"_Shush_," Patchouli interrupted as the two hovered over the banks of the Sanzu, "That's not why we're here, I want to talk to Komachi."

"What will we get from her?" Meiling asked, "We gonna see if her scythe can bring down the Hoshoku?"

Patchouli's face darkened, "I was going to ask her about that afterwards," She responded, "But right now I want to see how the Sanzu's traffic is doing."

Meiling raised an incredulous brow, "Why? What's that going to tell us?"

"It's just a theory," The pale magician responded as she scanned the roughly flowing waters, "I'll let you know if this exchange with the shinigami corroborates it," The two companions fell silent as they continued down the Sanzu, in search of Komachi. The plan was that they'd meet somewhere downstream, but an hour in and no sight of the redhead. Meiling was getting impatient, more concerned with keeping the Hoshoku from harming anyone else, and Patchouli's own impatience was starting to get to her as well. She was considering bypassing the shinigami entirely and going straight to the yama.

Eventually, they found a boat resting on the riverbank, a certain redhead napping inside, "How familiar," Patchouli noted, giving Meiling a quick glare, "Onozuka, wake up," She leaned down to give the shinigami a good shake, "We need to talk."

"H-huh?" Komachi slowly rose from her boat, wiping away some saliva that had been leaking from her mouth, "Do we finally have someone to ferry?" She asked deliriously as she gave Patchouli and Meiling a once-over, "Oh, finally!" The shinigami perked right up in an instant, "I was starting to get worried, I haven't had anyone to ferry for a couple days now!"

Patchouli raised a curious brow, "Is that a fact?" She asked, "Most interesting."

"I know right? It's like nobody's dying. I mean, I've had some days where nobody needed a ride, but it's never gotten like this, traffic would usually pick up the next day. At first I loved this, but if I come back without a single person Shiki-sama's gonna kill me!" Komachi took a moment to stretch, "So how'd you two die? Your little vampires find out about that heap of flesh you dumped in the river?"

"Not yet, and we're not dead," Meiling answered, "Patchouli has something she wants to ask you."

Komachi sighed in disappointment, "Oh come on! This is going to be the third day in a row!"

"So no souls have been spotted going up or down this river?" Patchouli asked, "Not a one?"

The redhead shinigami shook her head, "Not a one," She parroted, "At least people stop dying the moment I lose my scythe..." She trailed off as a tinge of pink flashed on her cheeks.

"You lost your scythe?" Patchouli asked.

"Yeah, it must have been snagged by some plants or a river serpent grabbed it while I was flirt- I-I mean _training_ a new ferryman," Her cheeks reddened, "Gosh that was so embarrassing... Shiki-sama got so mad. She won't even give me one of the wooden replacements..."

"_And yet, the Hoshoku's been on a killing spree for who knows how long,_" Meiling muttered in observation as she continued to itch at the rope, "Hey Patchy, can I get rid of this thing?"

"Hmm?" Patchouli observed the Hoshoku's leg, still tied to Meiling, "Oh, sure, we got the venom samples we need."

Meiling sighed as she undid the rope, "_Thank you_, that was really starting to itch," As the leg of the Hoshoku hit the ground Meiling felt some angry eyes on her. She looked up, spotting Komachi's rather... she didn't know what to call it, but it was absolutely terrifying.

"Where did you get that?" She asked flatly.

"Th-there's a monster running around in Gensokyo, the Hoshoku," Meiling answered nervously, "This is one of its legs-"

"Give it here," Komachi ordered sternly. Meiling immediately complied, unwilling to aggravate the Shinigami further. Komachi examined the sharp metal blade that tipped the Hoshoku's limb, "You got this from some monster?"

"Yes, a monster that has been killing man, beast, and youkai alike," Patchouli responded.

"No wonder traffic is down," Komachi snarled, "Your bastard monster's been using _my _scythe to kill them!"

"Wait what?! How could the Hoshoku do that?!" Meiling challenged, "I fought the damn thing and it didn't use a scythe!" The blade of the devil-spider was swung at the gatekeeper's face, narrowly missing, and scaring the living daylights out of her.

Komachi wielded the Hoshoku's lost limb like she would her own scythe, the chitin leg positioned into the perfect shape to mimic her lost weapon, "'_A shinigami knows her scythe like she knows herself_'," She began, quoting one of Shikieiki's first lectures she ever suffered, "I know this metal like I know my own skin, your Hoshoku has a lot to answer for," She growled, "Stealing the scythe of a shinigami, using the weapon to suit its own ends..."

"But how does that stop the dead from being sent here?" Meiling asked.

"This is as I feared. There are few weapons that can outright kill a youkai, but a shinigami's scythe is one of them," Patchouli began, "When the Hoshoku regenerated, I saw a light that flickered out. The fumes, the light, the Hoshoku didn't just regenerate, it _burned_ it, nay, _sacrificed_ it to save itself!"

"Burned what?" Meiling begged for a clear answer, "The Hoshoku can't stop the-"

"_It can!_" Komachi retorted angrily, "Your Hoshoku isn't killing the youkai at all! It's been ripping out their souls!"

* * *

_Well, we learned lots today..._

_For those of you who want to know, 'Hoshoku' is romaji for 'Predator'._

_*edit* I can't believe it took me that long to realize I was spelling Mokou wrong. I am so sorry..._


	3. Serpents Rise

**_Disclaimer and warnings regarding the nature of the mediocrity before you can be found in chapter one._**

_Today's chapter of Shortcomings Manifest was brought to you by Wang Chung._

_**Warning:** I used copious amounts of duct tape to hold everything together._

* * *

"Suwako open the door!" Kanako shouted from behind the sliding door to her colleague's quarters, "There's something we have to talk about!" True to her nature these last few days, Suwako neglected to respond, instead opting for silence. The Moriya goddess growled audibly, "You got until three to let me in, after that I won't be responsible for what I do next!" Still no response, "One!" No answer, "Two!" Kanako raised her foot, ready to kick the door down, "Three!" Kanako delivered a powerful kick, but the door had already opened by then. A pair of tiny hands burst from the shadow within, grabbing Kanako by the calf and yanking her in. Yasaka struggled valiantly against the midget that dared to attack her-

Kanako immediately stopped struggling, "Oh," The goddess said dumbly as her eyes adjusted to the shadow, "Suwako."

"Kanako..." The curse goddess said weakly, reflecting her drab and disheveled appearance, "You shouldn't make a scene like that... I have company..."

Kanako raised a skeptical brow, "You've haven't left the shrine for weeks now, you've been locked in your room for several days, I don't see how you can make friends in here."

"And here I thought things were all lovey-dovey down at the Moriya Shrine," The "company" chimed in.

Kanako recognized that voice easily enough, "Yukari."

The blonde youkai summoned a gap that promptly vomit out a lantern that looked like it was from the outside world, illuminating Suwako's chaotic mess of a room, "Good to see you too, Kanako. I was just about to steal some coffee from Remilia, would you like some?"

"You drink that foreign trash?" The Moriya Goddess asked.

Yukari yawned loudly as the gap vomit a small porcelain cup, already steaming with what Kanako guessed was coffee. Yukari took a few sips before answering, "If I want to figure out Gensokyo's latest monster, I need to be up and about for more than three hours a day. Coffee's the most reliable thing to keep me up."

Now that she mentioned it, Kanako noticed some barely visible bags under Yukari's eyes. How long had she been up? What had she been doing?

"Before you ask, I've been making runs to the outside world," The blonde youkai said plainly, "Checking out ruins, looking through libraries, anything that describes the times long before Gensokyo. In fact that's why I'm visiting little miss doom and gloom over here," Yukari gestured to Suwako with her pinky finger. The smaller blonde was looking very stiff, and she was staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the room, "Unfortunately all she's done is illustrate that she is in need of some serious therapy. I wonder if Kenyu's still doing that therapist shtick?" Yukari mused.

"So you came here looking for information about the Hoshoku?" Kanako asked pointedly, "That's why I'm here, actually. I wanted to see if Suwako's... condition had something to do with our latest crisis."

The gap-youkai smirked coyly, taking one last sip before she set her cup aside, "Great minds think alike."

Ignoring the statement, Kanako continued, "Aside from whatever Suwako's neglected to say, what do you know?"

"The Hoshoku," Yukari began, "Nature's answer to the youkai... at least that's what the humans say. An animal with innocent roots, but a twisted growth. Cursed with a terrible power and an endurance to match. Eternally hungry for blood, and eternally searching for it."

"Therefore we can't solve this with danmaku," Kanako said blandly, "I gathered as much."

"I'm not done," Yukari stated as she gently nudged her stolen cup back under the gap, "There is something casting its own shadow over the Hoshoku's," Yukari caught Suwako's shiver at "shadow".

"So the Hoshoku isn't doing this of its own accord?" Kanako asked, folding her arms, "How do you know all this?"

"If you were there, you would be saying the same thing," Yukari said lowly, "When I confronted the Hoshoku and saved Reimu from being eaten, I could tell just by looking that the devil was less than a few years old. That being said, I felt more than just two eyes on me. The powerful are always aware of one-another, and that night I felt I was under the scrutiny of someone far, _far_ older than myself."

_"That's saying something,"_ Kanako muttered in amusement, "So we have some puppet-master working in the shadows?" This time both women caught Suwako's shiver.

"Possibly," Yukari responded as more coffee poured from the gap and into her cup, "I have nothing solid, but until then all I can go with is my instincts, which have always served me well," Yukari gave Suwako a once over before giving Kanako a look that asked "did you see that?"

The wind goddess nodded slowly before she turned her gaze to Suwako, "Are you okay, Suwa-" She gasped as her colleague shot up and immediately muzzled her with a hand.

_"Shush..." _The mountain goddess softly commanded, _"They're listening. Stop talking."_

"Why?" Kanako asked, wrenching Suwako's hand away.

Yukari meanwhile hummed in delight, "Well, this is quite an interesting development. So, who's listening?"

A long silence from the smaller blonde, _"The... the children."_

"Your children?" Yukari asked. Just as the subject came up a white mist began to seep through the walls.

"No," Suwako answered, her voice suddenly finding strength, "_His_."

* * *

_Meanwhile at Eintei._

Reimu had taken to meditating on the porch whilst waiting for Fujiwara's recovery, sifting through every image, every memory she had of the abomination that had humiliated her. Soon it would be time for round two, and this time the Hoshoku would be the one convulsing on the ground in agony.

"Reimu-san, a moment."

The shrine maiden gazed over her shoulder, spotting the hem of Eirin's distinct dress, "Eirin-san," She greeted with a dip of her head, "What do you need?"

Eirin sat down next to Reimu before speaking, "You still look terrible," She said in regards to the maiden's tattered clothing.

Reimu snorted, "I've got bigger things to worry about than my looks," She turned to Eirin, "Now, what do you want?"

"The Hoshoku, it is a corporeal creature, yes?" The doctor asked hesitantly.

Reimu raised a curious brow, but answered nonetheless, "Considering how I mangled its face, I'd assume so."

"I don't want an assumption, I want a definitive answer," Eirin said sternly, "What I have in mind all hinges on this."

A long silence as Reimu drew on her memories, "Yes," Reimu said, "Both Fujiwara-sama and myself can attest to that," She turned to face the lunarian, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"The mishaguji are ethereal beings by nature, which is why my plans to inject them with their own venom have ended in failure. However the Hoshoku is not," The doctor produced a syringe loaded with a vial of some azure substance, "This contains a diluted sample of some mishaguji venom I procured in the past. I believe that if we can inject the devil-spider with this sample, there's a possibility that its body will immediately answer the invasion by producing antibodies. Once some time passes you use this same syringe to collect the demon's blood, and you bring it here so I can start looking in to producing an antivenom."

"This also hinges on the possibility that the Hoshoku will even produce your antibodies," Reimu countered, "What if it does not?"

"Then either the monster itself dies, or the deaths will continue," Eirin immediately answered, "The least we can do is make an attempt at stopping its venom from being responsible for more deaths."

"I like the sound of that!"

Before Reimu could respond Mokou emerged from Eintei looking as good as new, save for the holes that riddled her clothing, "I hope the demon keels over when we stick it, I don't want to spend another second knowing that the monster's still breathing."

"While its demise would be preferable, I honestly doubt that happening," Reimu retorted evenly.

Mokou rubbed the back of her head as she sat down next to Eirin, "Geez Reimu, can't you get your blood pumping a little? Why do you have to be such a buzz-kill?"

"I'm simply being realistic. I believe our chances of this working are slim given what we know about the Hoshoku's heritage," Reimu said, "In short I don't want to be disappointed when this doesn't work."

"I appreciate your faith in my plan, Reimu-san," Eirin said tartly, "Just take the syringe and try your best, okay?" With a nod Reimu took the loaded syringe from the lunarian, "If you do manage to stick the Hoshoku, don't let it out of your sight. You'll need to extract the black beast's blood eventually."

"Don't worry Eirin, I don't plan on letting that rat bastard out of my sight," Mokou said, cracking her knuckles eagerly.

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask," Eirin began, "You have both fought the devil-spider, you both have a good idea of what it is capable of. What exactly are we up against?"

"A demigod?" Reimu proposed, earning a surprised look from both girls, "Oh come on," The shrine maiden sighed, "You're telling me that even after learning about this connection to the mishaguji, you haven't even considered the possibility of some divine nature? It would certainly explain how the damn beast best the youkai, _and_ us."

"All I know is that it doesn't belong here," Mokou said, "I've heard talk from the youkai, what the devil-spider smells like. They all say that it smells like death, a legion of rotting corpses. They're scared because they've never smelt a death like it before. I don't care what we have to do, we need to get rid of it."

"Agreed," Reimu said as she climbed to her feet, "Now then, are we going to talk about the Hoshoku, or are we going to deal with it?" Reimu gestured skyward.

"Poverty before privilege," Mokou retorted with a wry look.

The shrine maiden snorted as she slowly took off, "I'm going to kick your ass for that later."

The noble laughed as she followed suit, "I'd like to see you try!"

Meanwhile Eirin watched in horror as the two girls disappeared over the forest canopy, "Those are the people I'm placing my hopes on?" Suddenly a realization hit her and she immediately turned to Eintei's front door, "Suika! Get out here!"

It didn't take long for the drunkard to stumble out, "What?!" Eirin observed that she had several pill bottles in her arms.

"Reimu and Mokou are going to the Moriya shrine, you're going to follow them," The lunarian ordered as she calmly held out her hand, "And you're giving back all those painkillers before I peel open your esophagus and fill it with beans," Suika was gone, pill bottles scattered across the porch faster than Aya on a busy day. Eirin smiled warmly, "Thank you," Then her face hardened, "Reisen! Porch! Now!"

* * *

_Meanhwhile..._

"H-Hosho-kun, wait!" Daiyousei cried out as she clung to the devil-spider's calf, "Don't go in there! That's where those nasty sisters live!"

The Hoshoku ignored the fairy, instead it scurried along the perimeter of the brick wall like it was all that mattered. It clearly knew Daiyousei was trying to stop it, otherwise it wouldn't be trying to kick her off every couple meters. The demon clicked and chattered the whole way, such alien sounds, all of which the little fairy had never heard from any living creature.

Daiyousei tried one last time to stop the youkai-eater as it rounded a corner, where an iron gate rested. She could spot a tall depression in the brick, and the Hoshoku for some reason stopped to inspect it, "Hosho-kun?" She asked, watching the devil-spider gently rest a hand on the depression. It let out a soft sound as it drug a finger along the outline, like it remembered what made it. It sat like that for quite a while, fingers dancing inside the human-sized wear in the brick wall. It then moved to examine the iron gate, wrapping its claws around the bars for a moment.

Then a loud snarl emerged from the creature, one that made the fairy shiver terribly. The Hoshoku hunkered down, then casually hopped the iron gate without warning. Daiyousei immediately let go of her companion, fearing for her own safety within the mansion grounds, "H-he doesn't know though..." She told herself as she watched the Hoshoku slowly make its way to the front door from behind the iron gate.

Once again the devil-spider had to stop to investigate what lie before it. The creature placed a hand on the door, gently dragging its fingers down to one of the handles. The Hoshoku gingerly wrapped its claws around the handle for a moment, before it let go. Then it did the unthinkable, with an alien roar it reared back and kicked the door, which promptly shattered from the impact.

Daiyousei just about turned tail when the monster scurried into the mansion faster than a tengu, but once again, she felt like she needed to go after it. She brought it here, she put the Hoshoku -and everyone in the mansion- in harm's way. She could do this better with help, but there was nobody around, "Patchy-chan and China could help!" Daiyousei suggested to herself, "But... I don't even know where they are," Nervously, Daiyousei started toward the mansion, barely managing to spot a flash of silver rip past the doorway and off to wherever the Hoshoku went.

* * *

It was quiet, so very quiet. Meiling and Patchouli were gone, off hunting some great devourer, some monstrosity the residents of Gensokyo had dubbed the Hoshoku; wanton devourer of man and beast; indiscriminate slaughterer of youkai. Such a monster should not exist, such a monster's only home should be in horror stories, in old tales of times long past. Yet here it was, stalking the thick forests, bringing an untimely demise to whomsoever dared to cross its path.

Grimly, Sakuya tossed the newspaper into the fireplace, unwilling to read more. But still, the dark accounts of this devil-spider wormed their way into the forefront of the maid's thoughts. A killer of youkai, what if it came here? There was no doubt the monster would get the fight of its life if it so much as hopped that brick wall, but would force be enough? Youkai-killer, again that term flashed through Sakuya's mind. Meiling wasn't safe, Patchouli was most certainly not safe, and the way things were going, nobody was.

"Sakuya, you look troubled."

The maid's eyes snapped to her mistress' with a start, but her surprise quickly died, "I am, ojou-sama," She stated plainly.

"I see," Reimilia responded, taking a quick sip of her cold tea, "With Patchouli and Meiling out there doing God knows what, I must admit that the stories recounted in Aya's article have served to unnerve me as well," Another sip, "Have you got any contingencies in the event that this youkai-killer comes here?" Sakuya neglected to retort, and after a long silence the lolita vampire got the message. Remilia sighed in exasperation, setting her tea aside, "Then we still only have mine..."

Sakuya shifted her stance uncomfortably, "I still must protest using Flandre as fodder for the Hoshoku's blades. What if she-"

"She can handle herself," Remilia countered evenly, clasping her hands together so she could rest her chin against them, "But... if this monster can outclass even the likes of Reimu in a duel, I suppose I should step in so Flan isn't totally at risk."

"Ojou-sama, I cannot allow you to put yourself or your sibling in harm's way," Sakuya began as she drew one of her daggers. She stared at the perfectly polished blade, eying her reflection grimly, "I... I will fight the Hoshoku while the two of you get to safety."

Remilia smirked behind her interlocked fingers, "You think I'm just going to sit by and let such a perfect maid and a trusted confidant valiantly risk her life to fight this up-and-coming devil alone?" A coy smirk, "I thought you knew me, Sakuya."

"Unfortunately I do," Sakuya retorted with a soft smile, "But I would not be a proper maid without at least _trying_ to keep my mistress safe," The two girls shared a quick laugh before settling back down to their more serious demeanors.

"So I guess we're all staying," Remilia said casually.

Sakuya nodded, "So it seems," They both glanced out a nearby window forlornly. The clouds were low and gray, not at all foreboding, but rather just grim and dreary; oppressive, "Perfect time to fight for our lives," The maid observed.

"Indeed," Remilia responded dryly.

Both girls nearly jumped out of their skin when a loud crash sounded throughout the mansion. Somebody just smashed the front door.

"Ah!" Remilia chirped, hopping out of her seat, "Looks like we have company!"

Sakuya nearly blanched at her mistress' jarringly eager approach to what was most likely a very dire situation, "O-Ojou-sama?! What do you think you're doing?!"

The lolita vampire smirked as she passed her favorite maid, "As the head of the mansion, it is my duty to entertain any and all guests," She stopped in the archway leading out of the dining hall, "Especially when they go through the trouble of breaking a solid oak door that's older than me," Her smirk grew wilder when she noticed Sakuya had disappeared, it didn't take much thought to figure out that she had slowed time to get a head start, "Oh Sakuya, what _am_ I going to do with you?" Not even picking up her calm pace in the slightest, Remilia continued down the hall. The vampire held her right arm before her, watching as crimson lightning arced across it, "I hope you live up to your hype, Hoshoku."

* * *

Sakuya, meanwhile, was already at the front door, inspecting the shattered remains to find any indication of what just kicked it in, "_This is insane,_" She muttered, frustration mounting as she failed to find anything, "_How did I miss them?_" Not even bothering to look outside, Sakuya's gaze immediately snapped to one of the lobby's many nondescript doors, or rather, the remains. She spotted a flash of azure, but little else. Still though, it was enough to make Sakuya sprint after whatever she saw.

The maid stopped against the wall, conjuring another dagger and taking a deep breath, "_Still as the night, silent as the dawn,_" She muttered lowly to herself. These next few seconds would decide the fate of the mansion, either it would be a small cleanup, or she'll need to pick up the pieces of a battlefield. With a soft exhale Sakuya made her way through the broken doorway, dagger at the ready, only to be greeted by a monstrous blade connected to a hinged limb. She barely managed to parry, then two more came. This time the maid chose to dodge, slowing time to give her more breathing room and allow her to get a better look at her adversary.

Sakuya's skin tone changed to match the color of her hair.

One thing came to mind as stared into the soulless azure eyes of the demon before her, completely shattering her concentration, and returning the flow of time to its natural state. She could see it now, Flandre clinging lovingly to the bloody mess she saw as her best friend, the one that couldn't break no matter what it was subject to. The only one who would never leave her side. Sakuya shuddered as she recalled the way Flandre would chirp the pet name she had given the poor wretch; her precious, immortal, _Dolly_.

Sakuya immediately conjured another dagger just as the... the _thing_ before her lunged its blades in a well-coordinated flurry. The maid struggled to parry and dodge as she tried to regain her bearings, restore order to her frantic Sakuya managed to bring the pace of time down to a leisurely stroll, but the monster's speed ensured that each strike was not a simple task to evade or block.

Was this Dolly? Was Dolly the Hoshoku? Sakuya prayed that fate was just being cruel, making a monster that just happened to have a disturbing likeness, even with all the deviations between this intruder and the spindly, pathetic creature Flandre loved so much. Sakuya was torn from her musings when the black beast suddenly scurried back, eyes wide, she'd go as far as saying fearful._ It looks like Dolly, it clearly recognizes you, it's not attacking or anything, in fact it's retreating, _Sakuya thought to herself,_ Perhaps this can end before it truly begins?_

"I... D-dolly?" In response the Hoshoku let out a short series of strange clicks, "Dolly, it's Sacchan," Sakuya persisted, "Do you remember me?" She took a tentative step forward, grip on her dagger still tight just to be safe. The devil-spider reeled even further, letting out an aggressive, guttural sound at her, "You do, don't you?" Sakuya kept going, trying to get closer. Eventually she had backed the Hoshoku into a corner, "Dolly, come here. Now," She finally ordered. In response, the Hoshoku let out an earsplitting blare that rocked the very supports of the mansion. Sakuya immediately cupped her now ringing ears, desperate to muffle the terrible sound the black beast had emit.

The mighty bellow only served to cast doubt on the notion of this being Dolly. He didn't have any modicum of a voice, and this creature had one. It had a terrible voice that did not belong with any living creature, it was too alien, too unnatural. The more the maid thought about it, the more she equated it to the sounds that accompanied Okuu's signature attacks, but far deeper. Somehow the demon's vocalizations appealed to some primal part of Sakuya's mind, triggering a desire to run and never look back.

Sakuya couldn't help but scoff at that notion.

The Hoshoku hunkered down and dug its claws into the tile floors of the hall, cracking them grievously. Sakuya settled into a more defensive position in response, "Don't do this," She tried to tell the beast, "If it's you, Dolly, you can still end this," The Hoshoku rumbled audibly in retort as the cracks in the floor grew, circling Sakuya, and before she could even react the beast ripped the chunk of floor she was standing on out of the ground, flipping it into the left-hand wall in an effort to crush her.

It was a simple task for the maid to slow time to a crawl and get to safety, then without missing a beat Sakuya immediately launched her retaliation. Conjuring thousands of daggers and throwing them with all of her might. Seconds after leaving her hands the blades stopped, hovering in place just in front of the monster.

The maid paused to regard the Hoshoku. It was moving, slowly, but quite substantially. In the time Sakuya had taken to set up, the demon had already hunkered down, bladed limbs in the process of flexing forward to protect its body, and the monster's forearms had moved to cover its face.

Time returned to its natural state, and the armada of daggers launched forward like they had each just been individually thrown at the monster. Sakuya heard the sounds of blades bouncing of plated armor, the sound of pierced flesh, but no sounds of pain. The form of the Hoshoku rose, parting its armored limbs and revealing what damage was done. The majority of daggers had hit their mark, there were maybe twenty daggers the beast actually blocked, the rest either bored into the black beast's body or missed. After a moment, the devil-spider sluggishly reached up and began to casually rip the daggers out of its flesh one by one. The holes the daggers left behind burned a soft azure, blue embers occasionally emerging from them.

Far from finished, Sakuya conjured another pair of daggers and threw herself into the thick of it. Every half a second time was stopped so she could get in some lethal stabs and slices, and the whole time Sakuya's ire grew. It wasn't fighting back, it would defend, but it had yet to even try to attack. It just watched or put its arms in front of its face, the Hoshoku didn't even try to run or dodge. This fight was starting to taste sour.

The Hoshoku's chest shone softly as a small white ember emerged from it. Although brutally confused, Sakuya wasn't about to let the monster put the strange thing to use. Slowing time yet again, she darted forward, twin daggers at the ready, the devil-spider's delayed reaction allowing for Sakuya to plant both blades in its neck. The maid gracefully leapt over her opponent, producing another pair of blades and planting them in the demon's spine.

Meanwhile, in standard time, the Hoshoku was totally ignoring Sakuya's assault. By the time it had wrapped its claws around the white ember, the maid had a dagger between every one of its vertebrae. The flames flared madly in the youkai-killer's grip, almost like it was struggling to escape. The monster squeezed harder as at least twelve daggers miraculously appeared in its forearm. Smoke began to pour from the Hoshoku's wounds as the flame began to fade, and Sakuya was forced to retreat, the smoke bringing on a terrible cough and setting her throat on fire. The maid tried to see what was happening, but the thick veil had already swallowed her adversary, and it was growing. The only thing she could think of was conjuring more daggers, throw them into the mist, and hope that she would hit her mark.

From within the azure smoke, Sakuya could hear the sounds of agony, a sound in any other situation she would be overjoyed to hear. But she hadn't even launched a volley yet, and so far her blades had yet to illicit a reaction from the accursed devil-spider. Whatever was happening, the Hoshoku was doing it to itself.

The blades in the demon's flesh unceremoniously dropped to the floor, the flame in the monster's claws flickered out, and the smoke dispersed, revealing a devil-spider bereft of wounds, and with improvements. All those randomly placed stone scales had fused together, forming a thick and flexible outer layer of armor. The only exposed areas were those that demanded as much flexibility as possible, the joints and the abdomen, much less exposed flesh for Sakuya to work with.

Not even bothering with rhetoric, the maid launched another offensive. Same song and dance: Draw daggers, slow time-

The Hoshoku immediately clotheslined Sakuya with its armored forearm. Before the maid could even process what had just hit her, the devil-spider caught her by the leg before the floor was even an issue and swung her into the horribly mangled wall. Sakuya made a decent sized dent before dropping unceremoniously to the cracked floor, stunned at what had just happened.

_Impossible! _Sakuya thought frantically, _There's no way in hell that this should be happening! _She had felt time slow to a crawl, she had seen the world warp slightly as it often did when she was in a temporal shift, yet the black beast acted as if nothing had been done, no change in the flow of time. In all her years, Sakuya had never encountered a soul who surpassed the limits imposed by time, nobody except...

No, she'd have to be insane to think that. It was a homunculus, there was nothing divine about a walking bastardization of all living things. Praying to every god she could think of in hopes that this was just a fluke, Sakuya leapt to her feet and pulled a dagger from thin air.

The foes didn't make a sound as they made their moves. Sakuya slowed time once more and charged forward, but much to her dismay the Hoshoku once more moved to clothesline her. This time the maid had the sense to dodge, dropping to her knees and sliding across the tile, but the devil-spider whipped around and got a fistful of her silver hair. Like a ragdoll it hefted her up and swung her into the floor. Not wasting a precious second, the demon cruelly punted Sakuya's face just as she was trying to get to her feet, and once again the maid felt her lips meet a familiar wall.

As the maid hit the floor she could hear it yet again, and it was steadily getting louder. A rhythmic puffing of breath. Quick, sharp, and it did not sound like fatigue. Sakuya summoned all of her strength and slowly climbed to her feet, turning her gaze to the devil-spider; and felt a burning sensation she'd equate to anger as a result. The rhythmic puffing coupled with the bouncing shoulders, the Hoshoku was _laughing_ at her.

It had every right to as well, somehow the demon had overcome the laws of time, somehow it was like a- "_Don't say it, Sakuya,_" The Maid muttered, "_But... _I'm still impressed, Dolly. You've come a long way from a punching bag," In retort the black beast's bladed limbs flexed forward, ready for its foe to make a move. But it never came. With her greatest advantage tossed to the wayside, Sakuya felt there was nothing she could do. The Hoshoku killed youkai for a living, and she was a mere human, what could she possibly do to a monster that was in a constant state of forced evolution?

No, she wouldn't go down without a fight. As the demon's blades reared back, Sakuya picked up a dagger from the floor, one that had tasted the Hoshoku's flesh before. She held it at the ready, waiting for the demon to lose patience with her inaction.

A lance of crimson lightning pierced the devil-spider's skull, and the demon immediately dropped like a ragdoll, twitching every second or two. Sakuya's eyes snapped to the other end of the hallway. There was Remilia, and a green-haired fairy of all things hastily making their way over, "O-Ojou-sama..." The maid panted out as she fell to her knees, eager to get a little rest.

"Sorry I took so long, I was interrogating our other guest," The lolita vampire gave the hall a once over before settling on her maid, "Looks like you had fun," She observed coyly.

"I assure you I could feel the despair mounting," Sakuya retorted evenly as her mistress helped her to her feet. The fairy meanwhile was examining the crumpled heap that was the Hoshoku, she was talking to it like she knew it, she even had a name for it: Hosho-kun, "Who is that?" She asked Remilia.

"Daiyousei," Remilia answered as she scanned the black heap, "You know, the Hoshoku looks a bit familiar the more I look at it..." The vampire trailed off as she watched Daiyousei try flipping the black beast over, and she got a look at its familiar face; that smooth, featureless face.

Remilia immediately conjured Gungnir and began to make her way over to the body, "Ojou-sama..." Sakuya breathed, "Wait!" Remilia ignored her, shoving Daiyousei aside and kneeling down to the black beast's level.

"Well, looks like puberty hit someone like a scythed chariot," Remilia began in a friendly tone that devolved into malice too quickly for comfort, "I don't know how you do it, Dolly. This time you've gone through the trouble of killing everyone in your way to get here, even youkai of all things. However, you don't kill unless ordered, so I can't help but wonder who has the puppet's strings now?" Next thing she knew Remilia had a set of calloused hands firmly wrapped around her neck. The vampire laughed heartily as the Hoshoku let out a low, alien rumble from the bowels of its throat, "Good to see you remember me!" Remilia spread her wings, "Let's settle this, shall we?!" With a powerful flap she took herself and the devil-spider through the ceiling, leaving Daiyousei and Sakuya behind.

"Of course," Sakuya said with a sigh as the Mansion was struck by a simultaneous tremor, a mirthful battle-cry, and a mad bellow, "Well, I'd have been a fool to expect otherwise."

"How does she know Hosho-kun?" The fairy behind her asked, "Why do they hate each other?"

"A long story, but that implies that they are one and the same..." Sakuya said as she started down the hall, one hand on her head, "He didn't listen... _it_ didn't listen. That's not Dolly, there's no way it is..." A frustrated sigh, "And yet I can't imagine it being anyone else."

Daiyousei followed the maid out of sheer loss of what to do next, "Who's Dolly?" She asked.

"If my fears are correct? A mistake, one that has cost Gensokyo dearly," Sakuya immediately answered. The two passed through the main lobby, totally ignoring the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Sh-shouldn't we be going up?" The fairy asked.

"No," Sakuya responded evenly.

"Then where are we going?" Was Daiyousei's next question, just as the mansion was struck with another tremor.

Sakuya's face grew grimmer at that question, "We're going to the basement, and we're going to reintroduce that monster to an old friend."

* * *

Reimu and Mokou traveled up Youkai Mountain all haste to the Moriya shrine, with the shrine maiden growing grimmer by the second. Mokou did her best to get Reimu's "blood pumping" but aside from bringing up her financial situation nothing seemed to earn a reaction, and it was starting to bother the noble, "Reimu, I realize things are serious, but if you don't lighten up I might start getting pale from all your grimdark."

"This isn't the time for jokes," Reimu retorted sharply, "I appreciate what you're doing, but right now I need to be focused. I don't want it to be true, but if the Moriya shrine's behind this I'm going to wipe them off the face of creation."

"All of them?" Mokou asked.

"Everyone involved, and everyone who tries to stop me," Reimu corrected, "Creating a monster like the Hoshoku, it's unforgivable."

After that Fujiwara's own mood began to darken as the two drew ever closer to the summit. Something wasn't right though, the entire area was coated in a very-low lying mist; a solid, waist-high mist that persisted even to the shrine.

"Reimu?" Mokou asked as the two girls looked over the seemingly empty Moriya shrine.

"Yeah?" Reimu answered lowly.

"Is it just me, or does it look like the mist is coming from the shrine?" The noble asked.

"I was just about to bring that up myself actually," Reimu began as she descended toward the Moriya Shrine.

Mokou followed closely, "This is making me really uncomfortable. Doesn't Sanae like to greet everyone?"

"She does," Reimu answered, "And she doesn't run any errands this late into the day."

"How do you know that?" The noble asked.

"Not important," The shrine maiden retorted in a "drop it before I mess you up" tone of voice. Eventually the two landed before the shrine, the icy mist nipping at their skin, "It's cold," She observed accurately.

"Too cold," Was Mokou's retort, "This is really messed up. It's the middle of summer," The noble was the one to take the first steps toward the shrine, although she was hesitant. Fujiwara kept a flame in her hand, ready to strike at whatever may have lurked below the mist, "I don't think the Hoshoku's capable of this."

"Then what is?" Reimu asked, "Where are the visitors? Where's Sanae? Where's anybody? I feel like we're the only things with a pulse around here."

Mokou yelped and shot fire into the mist, temporarily dispersing it.

"What?!" Reimu immediately conjured her yin-yang orbs and a homing talisman.

"Something just brushed my damn leg!" Fujiwara shouted, producing more flames from her palms. She immediately whipped around and shot fire into a nondescript spot. However nothing beyond the mist reacted to the flames, "What the hell was that?!"

"Fujiwara-sama calm down!" Reimu ordered, "There's nothing there!" She had no way to prove this, but she didn't need Mokou freaking out and burning down the shrine.

"There is! I know what I felt!" The noble retorted sharply.

The shrine maiden sighed, "Look, let's just get in there and see what's causing this," She gave Mokou a reassuring pat on the back, "I've got your back, you don't need to worry."

The noble took a deep breath, "Yeah... I need to calm down..." Mokou said as she slowly continued toward the shrine, "Thanks Reimu."

"Anytime," Reimu responded.

The trek to the front door was more of an effort than the two girls expected. Like something was pushing down on them, trying to slow them down. They stopped at the front door, staring at it for roughly a minute before Reimu mustered the courage to slide it open. The mist was even thicker inside, perpetually flowing out to the mountain forests.

"This place looks like hell," Reimu noted, scanning the shattered walls and broken furniture.

"More like a battlefield," Mokou corrected, spotting a splatter of blood on a nearby cabinet, "There was a good fight in here. Think the Hoshoku was here?"

"I almost hope so. I'd be most relieved if they aren't behind this. A couple gods against the Hoshoku would be welcome," Reimu said as she shoved aside a broken door, leading to one of the resident's rooms from the looks of it.

Mokou hummed as she examined the walls, "What if the devil-spider got to them?"

"I'd rather it didn't," Reimu answered as she made her way into the deserted quarters, examining a low-lying table that just barely peeked above the mist. There was a water stain, and a-

Reimu immediately snatched the fan from the table, _"Oh hell,"_ She muttered as she read the name carved into the handle, confirming her fears, "Fujiwara-sama?"

"What's up?" Mokou said as she made her way into the room.

Reimu immediately presented the small fan to her companion, "This is Yukari's," She said grimly.

"That's not funny Reimu," The noble retorted. Reimu's expression failed to change, much to Mokou's chagrin, "Reimu, you're starting to scare me! Cut it out!"

"This isn't a joke!" Reimu shouted, "This is Yukari's! She was here when this place was destroyed!"

"Okay, that's it! I am _so_ outta here!" Mokou jumped in place, and Reimu noticed that the mist was almost clinging to her legs, "Wh-what the hell?! Why can't I take off?!"

Experimentally, Reimu immediately tried the same, only to jump in place as well, "This mist," The shrine maiden began, "I don't think it wants us to leave."

"I'm just going to calmly get the hell out now," Mokou said as she slowly turned around and sprinted out of the room. Reimu immediately went after her, but then Fujiwara fell through the floor, screaming as she did so.

"Fujiwara-sama!" Reimu called as she ran toward where she thought Mokou fell, only to fall through the mist as well. She screamed just as Mokou did, trying to halt her descent. Still though, she couldn't fly, and for the first time in a long while, Reimu was totally at gravity's mercy.

Eventually the shrine maiden hit the ground, and her first thoughts were immediately on her companion, "Fujiwara-sama?" She called, "Mokou!" She heard a muffled voice, "Mokou?" Reimu asked.

"_Gmmph fff._"

Reimu looked down when she hear the retort, she was sitting on Mokou's head, "Oh, s-sorry," She immediately climbed off the noble and helped her off.

"Thanks," Fujiwara scanned their surroundings. They were underground, and judging from the lack of light, very deep underground, "Where are we?"

"Let's find out," Reimu answered.

"Reimu-san?"

The shrine maiden scanned the darkness curiously, "_Is that..? _Sanae? That you?

Soon a maiden in a blue and white getup emerged from the darkness, "Reimu-san," She said with a sigh of relief. It was Sanae, but she didn't look too good. Her skin was coated in bruises and she had a bloody lip.

"Sanae-san, what's going on around here?" Reimu asked as she scanned Sanae's wounds, "What happened to you? And are we alone?"

"I'm... I'm not the only one in here," Sanae answered. Just then several people emerged from the darkness, all covered in minor wounds. But that was not what bothered Reimu. They weren't all human.

Youkai, tengu, even some fairies; they were also in this hole. This only made things worse in the shrine maiden's eyes, "I'll ask again, what's going on?" Reimu said.

Sanae's face grew sour, "_The_ _mishaguji_," She spat, "They are the ones who have dumped us all here, and they're responsible for the mist."

"What do you mean?" Mokou asked, "What could possibly possess them to do something like this? Don't your goddesses have them wrapped around their fingers?"

"Not anymore," Sanae answered grimly, "They have driven off Suwako and Kanako, they've taken over the shrine, and have been rounding up the local youkai."

Reimu hummed thoughtfully as she mustered another question, "Are they here? The mishaguji?"

"They're always here," Sanae responded simply.

"How do we get out?" Mokou asked.

"Can't," A crow-headed youkai answered, "Those damn vipers'll kill you if you try."

_"So we're stuck here..."_ Mokou muttered.

The crow laughed, "That's the long and short of it, sweetheart. We're all screwed."

Just then a mist began to seep into the underground, "Here they come," Sanae said grimly. Several giant snakes emerged from the mist, each twice Reimu's size. Their crimson eyes shone brightly in the darkness, and their equally red maws opened and closed casually as they looked over their prisoners.

"It's been a while since I've seen a bonafide curse god up close," Mokou said, "Oi! Snake! Why are all these youkai here?!"

The mishaguji looked amongst one-another for a moment before collectively fixing their gaze on Fujiwara. They did little to answer though, they just stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Don't bother," The crow youkai told Mokou, "They ain't gonna talk to you."

Sanae stepped forward and dropped to her knees in a show of subservience, the other inhabitants quickly did the same. One of the curse gods slithered forward, hissing at the wind-priestess venomously.

"We did not send for them," Sanae retorted sternly.

The mishaguji's gaze fell on Mokou and Reimu again. It hissed conversationally once again.

"Surely you recognize them? Hakurei Reimu and Fujiwara no Mokou?" Sanae asked the white serpent.

The mishaguji looked amongst one-another for a moment, then the lone one hissed yet again.

"I-I will make sure of it, lords," Sanae said. Seemingly satisfied, the serpents transformed back into mist and dispersed. Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief, and got back to their feet.

"The hell was that?" Fujiwara asked Reimu.

The shrine maiden could only shrug helplessly in response.

"By order of the Thousand Sons," Sanae began, turning to Reimu and Mokou, "You are to be sacrificed in the name of the father, to hasten his return to the living world."

Mokou laughed heartily before settling back down, "No."

"I'm simply relaying what they told me, Fujiwara-sama," Sanae said, "I'm not in any condition nor disposition to enforce your cooperation."

"So what now?" Reimu asked, "It's not like Eirin had the foresight to send someone after us to be safe. I mean, our reputation screams "reliable" why would she think we needed help?"

* * *

Suika stared at the mist-ridden shrine grimly, unwilling to go further alone, "That's where they went, right?" She asked herself. The oni was trying to find a reason to go somewhere else, but her gut knew that Reimu was in there, and where Reimu was, Mokou was as well. Suika sighed in defeat before starting the descent down to the front door.

Then a gap appeared on the porch, and out came a tiny blonde girl. It wasn't anyone the drunkard recognized... well that was because she associated the girls of Gensokyo with their unique headgear, without them she couldn't remember who was who, "Oi!" Suika shouted at the hatless newcomer as she flew over, "What are you doing here?!"

The little blonde looked up at Suika, "I could ask you the same question," She said, "Suika, right?"

"Y-yeah, that's me," The oni said nervously, her posture suddenly growing stiff, "I don't owe you money or nuthin' right?"

"Not to my knowledge," The newcomer answered.

Suika sighed in relief and relaxed her muscles, "So who are you?"

"Moriya Suwako?" The girl asked, "Don't you remember me, Suika? We got into a fight over some wine Koakuma was auctioning off."

Suika squinted as she looked over Suwako. She looked close to the blurry memory, but something was amiss... "Don't you have a creepy hat?" The oni asked.

Suwako's face fell, "Not anymore."

The oni decided that pursuing that subject wouldn't be a good idea, at least for now. But she had a feeling this would come up later, "So what're you doing here?"

The mountain goddess allowed herself a smirk at that, "I'm just here to do some distracting," She responded as she hefted a sheathed blade. She clearly caught the drunkard's curious look, because she decided to elaborate, "An old friend of mine, a gift from Sengo-sama."

Suika's curiosity overriding her fears, she landed in the icy mist to get a better look at the sheath. It was made of bamboo, but black as the night sky, and the hilt was coated in golden embroidery, "Why do you need that?"

Suwako tied the sheath to her belt before answering, "Because they fear it," She answered simply. Just then several mishaguji rose from the mist, hissing audibly at the two lolitas. The former curse-goddess' face hardened as she turned to face the white serpents, "I gave you a home, a purpose, and you betray me the moment you think his return is nigh," The mishaguji hissed once again in retort, "The shadows of chaos will not threaten the world again, I will make sure of it!" One of the white snakes shot forward, red maw and fangs shining brightly. Suwako ducked and weaved, wrapping her arms around the serpent's neck then using the momentum to whip around on her heels and throw the curse god back into its brethren.

The Mishaguji quickly recovered and bellowed madly at Suwako, who in retort unsheathed her sword. The blade was blood red, crimson lightning arcing across it, rippling with great power. The sight immediately shut the curse gods up.

"What's that thing again?" Suika asked Suwako.

"The blade that tasted their father's blood," Suwako answered as she completely unsheathed the blade, "Remember this?!" She shouted at the serpents, "This is the blade that felled your father once before!"

The curse gods hissed lowly as several more appeared behind the two girls, "I'll take the four on the right," Suika said.

"I got the five on the left," Suwako responded, "Just keep them busy as long as you can," Suwako charged the five with her blade, while Suika beefed up a couple of meters and began to totally overpower her opponents.

The oni had picked up one of the mishaguji by the tail, swinging it into its brethren like a knight would swing a flail. She got in several good hits before her improvised flail reduced itself to mist, as well as her targets. The mist collected before her, transforming into a serpent that rivaled the oni in size, "Now _that's_ more like it!" The two giants smashed into one another, ignorant of the ants below. Suika had the mishaguji by the throat, but it had coiled around her throat and up her arm. The oni swung the serpent's head into the Moriya Shrine, only for her to be yanked into the wreckage.

Meanwhile Suwako had dealt the first "casualty", her devilish muramasa blade had neatly cleaved through one of the mishaguji, leaving only four left. One of the curse gods attempted to coil around her and suffocate her, but the mountain goddess managed to worm the blade beneath the serpent, using the weapon like a saw until the serpent released her. The mishaguji Suwako had cut in half returned, no longer two pieces, sinking its monstrous fangs into the goddess' shoulder. Just then another of the white serpents charged, sinking its teeth into her leg.

The goddess let out a pained cry as she drove the crimson blade into the head of the mishaguji that was making her leg a chewtoy, pinning it to the ground. At the same time, she struggled to pry the other off her shoulder. She succeeded, only for another to immediately take its place. In a mixed blessing, the tail of the giant snake Suika was grappling with swept into the smaller combatants, scattering them.

Suika pulled the over-sized serpent into a headlock, trying to keep a firm grip so whatever Suwako was distracting for would be done and out-of-the-way. The two giants toppled to the ground as the leviathan continued to struggle in the oni's grip, "You aren't going anywhere you slimy viper!" Suika shouted.

* * *

_Back underground..._

Suddenly a subtle tremor shook the catacombs deep beneath the Moriya shrine, and everyone felt it.

"Okay, something's up," Mokou said as she made her way over to the closest section of wall, pressing her ear against the bedrock. Another tremor, and another, "Sounds like we got us a couple of giants fighting over the shrine."

"How can you tell?" Reimu asked.

"Because whoever's up there is stomping around like there's no tomorrow," The noble answered, "Maybe it's our ticket out of here."

Just then a gap opened up in the middle of the cavern, and out came a familiar goddess, "Sanae?" She called, "Sanae?"

"Kanako-sama!" Suddenly the wind priestess had perked right up at the sound and sight of Kanako, "I was so worried about you!" Sanae wasted no time closing the distance between them, diving into Kanako's awaiting arms.

"Nowhere near as much as I was worried about you," The wind goddess responded happily, "I'm sorry we bailed like that, Suwako and I wanted to get you, but the mishaguji were on us so fast that-"

"Why are they doing this?" Sanae interrupted, "What did we do to offend them? What could have possibly happened to drive them to rebellion?"

Kanako's face fell, "We can talk about it once we get all of you out of here," She scanned the catacomb, going over each and every youkai before stopping at a familiar pair, "Fujiwara-sama," Kanako greeted with a dip of her head, "Hakurei," The goddess said evenly.

"Yasaka," Reimu responded as she started toward the gap, Mokou close behind. The youkai had just all but filtered through when the pair went in themselves, but not before Reimu graced Kanako with a relieved smile.

Reimu and Mokou emerged on the field in front of Yukari's residence. Many of the youkai had already left, but most either celebrated or simply relaxed on the grass. Mokou wondered if they grasped that the mishaguji were not done, and this in tandem with the Hoshoku made for a terrible crisis.

"Yukari! Over here!" Reimu called, spotting the blonde strolling through the ranks of the youkai.

"How long has it been?" Yukari asked as she made her way over, "A day, right? And already I need to pull you out of a dire situation yet again," The gap youkai smiled, "It's good to see you're okay, Reimu."

Reimu laughed, "It's good to see you're willing to help, especially when it's against your sleep schedule," The shrine maiden joked.

"No time for sleep," Yukari responded, "I've been trying to figure out from whom the Hoshoku draws its power."

Reimu raised a brow, "The Hoshoku is getting outside help?"

The gap youkai nodded, "I believe it's acting in the name of someone else, the question I've been trying to answer is, who?" Yukari cast a glance to Kanako and Sanae, who had just emerged from the gap, "I had my suspicions of the Moriya goddesses, but in light of recent events I decided to hold my tongue until one of these incidents is dealt with."

"I think we're dealing with the same incident," Mokou stepped in, "The Hoshoku's venom, it is apparently just like the mishaguji's. Eirin-san stressed that the deviations were nonexistent."

"Is that a fact?" The blonde youkai asked, folding her arms, "Then the mishaguji are responsible for this?"

"That or someone even bigger and nastier," Mokou said, "Sanae brought up a father of some sort. From what I can guess the mishaguji are trying to bring back their dad from the grave or something."

Then Reimu jumped back into the conversation, "Which wouldn't be the first time Gensokyo's had trouble with the dead."

Yukari chortled at Reimu's words, "_Mortals_," She sighed, "Gods don't die, they're just forgotten. You can strip away their power, you can cut them up and scatter the pieces," A knowing smirk began to form, "_Or_ you can seal their soul away into something mundane, like for instance... a hat."

Reimu's face hardened at that, "What are you getting at?"

* * *

The Hoshoku bellowed madly as it swung Remilia into the chimney of her mansion, reducing it to rubble in one swing. The lolita vampire coughed roughly as the dust forced its way into her lungs, but she wasted no time giving her wings a powerful flap. Now she was dragging the devil-spider across the rooftop, readying Gungnir for a good swipe at the monster's head. The Hoshoku then yanked Remilia down to its level, forcing her beneath it as their collective momentum sent the two combatants careening off the roof of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

The thick cloud cover made the sun a non-issue, but Remilia was so absorbed in her fight that she probably wouldn't have noticed if the sun suddenly emerged. She hated the creature that had her by the throat more than anyone else in the world, "I'm not letting you turn Flan into a lovestruck recluse again!" Remilia shouted, driving Gungnir into the monster's chest as the two smashed into the earth, "You don't even do a damn thing on your own and you're the best thing in the world for her, she shouldn't be wasting her life swooning over a brain-dead wad of meat!" Grip on Gungnir tightening, the vampire swung her opponent into the air and brought the beast back down with all of her might. Then she made a sweeping motion, dragging the Hoshoku's face through the broken earth, "This time I won't stop until your little black heart stops growing back!"

The devil-spider drove its bladed limbs into the ground, it grabbed Gungnir tightly and pulled the spear through its body, forcing Remilia closer. The vampire immediately released the spear and took off toward the Hoshoku, driving her knee into the monster's chin. The monster sank its claws into Remilia's thigh, yanking her to the ground and smashing its armored skull into hers.

Remilia ripped Gungnir out of the Hoshoku's chest and drove it into the demon's face. She managed to force the devil-spider onto its back, ripping out Gungnir only to force it back in, "**JUST! FUCKING! DIE!**" Glowing crimson chains erupted from the black beast's face and dove into the rest of its body, "Only a miserable fate is worthy of the likes of you!" Ripping out Gungnir one last time, the Scarlet Devil leapt back just as the chains worming through the Hoshoku's body exploded. Crimson smoke erupted from the devil-spider's body as it twitched and convulsed sporadically on the dying patch of grass.

Panting madly, Remilia could only watch the creature with a sense of great satisfaction, "See? You're not so tough..." She immediately dropped to a knee, "Well, not tough enough," The vampire gave the smoking carcass a once over, it looked dead.

Then again Dolly always looked dead. Remilia stomped over and drove Gungnir through the demon's skull, earning no reaction, "Stop playing dead," She slowly started to twist and work the spear, but still nothing. Remilia hummed at the providence, "You could stand up to Flandre's games, you could stand up to the youkai, you could even stand up to Reimu, but still you fall at my hand. How... disappointing," Gungnir faded away from existence as the vampire turned her back to the Hoshoku.

Next thing the Scarlet Devil knew she was on the ground, claws digging into her ribs, an incredibly sharp pain in her left-wing. Barely managing to move look over her shoulder, Remilia locked eyes with the accursed demon she had spent the last half-hour trying to kill. The horribly mangled hole in its face somehow had grown a set of warped teeth, and the monster was currently putting that mouth to good use by trying to eat her wing. She could feel every breaking bone and feel every tear in her membrane as more of her wing was forced into the Hoshoku's eager maw.

The Hoshoku bellowed through its mouthful of wing as it suddenly got to its feet with its prey in tow. Remilia looked over her other shoulder to see Sakuya, who, having driven a pair of daggers into the monster's throat, was now just hanging on for dear life as the Hoshoku whipped about to get at whatever was attacking it from behind.

Stifling her tears and her screams, Remilia managed to work the hooked tip of Gungnir around the base of her wing. She wished there was another option, but Sakuya couldn't beat the black beast alone. She needed to be fighting, she needed to... to-

Remilia finally let out a terrible scream as she yanked back her spear with all of her might. The searing energy erupting from Gungnir immediately sealing her wound and preventing bleeding, as well as quadrupling the pain. She fell to the cold earth in agony, but refused to waste a second while Sakuya was in danger. Mustering every ounce of her strength and spirit, the Scarlet Devil struggled to her feet, scanning the area for a maid battling a demon.

She spotted the Hoshoku sprinting toward the brick wall of the mansion, Sakuya still on its back. Remilia ran as fast as she could after the two, but the Hoshoku clearly had her beat. So she hefted Gungnir and threw it as hard as she could, hoping the spear could move fast enough to save Sakuya from being turned into a crepe. Gungnir drove through the devil-spider's leg, the demon howled and dropped into a rough tumble, taking Sakuya along for the ride. The Hoshoku did slam into the wall, but thankfully Sakuya was not stuck in-between.

As the monster ripped out Gungnir and leapt to its feet, Remilia willed the spear to her side and returned to her mad sprint, desperate to get between the Hoshoku and Sakuya before things could get worse. The Hoshoku picked up Sakuya by the throat and turned to Remilia, taking advantage of the lull to finally swallow Remilia's discarded wing. The Scarlet Devil hesitated, fully expecting the devil-spider to use Sakuya as a meat shield.

The monster cocked its head in a mocking show of confusion at Remilia's hesitance. One bladed limb glided over to Sakuya's cheek, making a light cut, just enough to draw blood. Remilia didn't move. The hollow blade went to her blouse, nipping and tearing the cloth. Remilia took a subtle step forward.

A pair of slender arms snaked their way around the Hoshoku's waist, and the beast reacted appropriately. It threw Sakuya into Remilia to keep her occupied and immediately turned its attention to the newcomer, immediately sprinting off toward the brick wall again. Remilia's attention was on Sakuya, she figured the fairy decided to have a go at the monster so the matter was in capable hands, "You, are the second most reckless woman I have ever met."

Sakuya laughed weakly in retort, "I'm just doing my job, Ojou-sama. I have to keep your best interests in mind, especially when you won't."

Remilia playfully slapped her maid, "You're terrible," Both Remilia and Sakuya spotted what looked like Daiyousei hiding in the mansion doorway. She waved, and Remilia returned the gesture, "Wait a sec," Then all three girls looked to where the Hoshoku bolted off, and Remilia was forced to witness the last thing she wanted to happen today.

Flandre Scarlet, younger sister of Remilia Scarlet, stood before the black devil without fear, without hatred, only curiosity, "Dolly...?" She asked hesitantly. The devil-spider meanwhile trembled madly, not making a sound as the blonde vampire took a tentative step forward. The beast dropped to all fours, head hung low as it slunk back. Each time Flandre took a step forward, the Hoshoku took a step back.

"Dolly?" This time Flandre took several steps, and the black beast let out a low hiss. Flan's lips twitched at the sound, "You've changed so much..." She said, "You learned how to talk, you've grown taller than Sakuya now..." She knelt before the devil-spider, holding out a hand in a peaceful gesture, "Come here, Dolly. You don't need to be scared."

Trembling more-so than ever, the Hoshoku began to jerkily make its way over. Remilia raised a brow at the sight, it didn't look like trembling, it looked like struggling. Like how a slave struggles against his bonds, the devil-spider struggled in the grip of... something.

Eventually the beast made it over to Flandre, albeit in as strange a fashion as possible. The Scarlet sister paid little mind though, devoting herself to wrapping the monster in a tight embrace, "I missed you..." She whispered, "Please don't leave me again, you... y-you were the only one who'd stay with me," Her voice began to break as all the memories of her old friend came rushing back. If he broke, he'd just fix himself right up so he could play the next day. He always waited for her to suggest something to do, and he'd never protest to what she wanted. He didn't annoy her by screaming bloody murder in her ears whenever she decided to open him up and play with his insides, he would stay nice and quiet; wouldn't make a peep.

Now he was back at her side, her precious, immortal, "Dolly," She hugged the black monster tighter, "I love you Dolly," Hesitantly, the Hoshoku returned the gesture by resting its chin on her shoulder, and for a moment that seemed like eternity, the trembling ceased.

"Get away from her you soul-sucking bug!"

A familiar armored limb looped around the demon's waist and yanked it out of Flan's arms, much to her dismay, "D-Dolly?!" She looked over to where her friend went, spotting it lying on the ground, head snapping between Meiling, Patchouli, and some redhead. The Hoshoku let out an audible hiss as it rose, empty eyes locked with the redheaded lady's.

Flandre tried to make her way over, only to be stopped by Meiling, "Don't get any closer, Flan," She ordered.

"China, what's going on?! What are you doing to Dolly?!" The blonde vampire demanded.

Meiling swallowed a large lump in her throat before responding, "That's not Dolly anymore, that's the Hoshoku," She answered, "A monster."

"Dolly's not a monster he's my friend!" Flandre shouted in retort, "Stop bullying him!"

"We're not bullying him, Flandre," Patchouli said, "He needs to pay for what he's done. He's killed a lot of people, stolen their souls. Komachi's here to punish him."

Flandre decided to illustrate her objection by summoning Lævateinn, "No! I'm not going to let you hurt him!"

"Enough Flandre!"

The blonde whipped around, spotting her elder sister, "Look what your friend has done! He's made a mess of our home, has spent the last hour trying to kill me and Sakuya, and that's not even getting into everyone else he's actually succeeded in killing!"

"Dolly doesn't kill people!" Flandre challenged, "He never hurt anyone!"

"You think I cut off my own wing because it's the latest fashion in London?!" Remilia shouted, "Use your damn head and think! I wouldn't lie to you!"

"You lie to me all the time!"

As the two sisters bickered, the shinigami and the devil-spider squared off, each brandishing their signature weapons, "You're quite the theif, monster. Scythes, souls, and the hearts of little girls," Komachi smirked, "I'm going to enjoy ripping all of that back out of your broken carcass."

The Hoshoku wasted no time charging into Komachi, six blades at the ready. Komachi charged as well, improvised weapon ready to taste its first bout of combat. The area rang with the sounds of heartless metal clashing against metal, both spawned from the same source. Komachi surprisingly held her own in the Hoshoku's opening volley, "You'll have to do better than that, devil-spider," She hunkered down, "Now!" The shinigami launched into the air, and a hail of danmaku fire pelted the Hoshoku. The devil-spider roared madly at Patchouli and Meiling, just as Komachi landed behind the monster and swung her scythe.

The Hoshoku made an agonized sound as all six of its bladed limbs fell to the ground one by one, the sounds of shards of its exoskeleton slapping against the earth seemed to punctuate the devil-spider's imminent downfall. However, there was still one last trick, one last trap to spring. The demon inhaled deeply as Komachi took back off and danmaku fire pelted the its flesh once more.

_Enough._

* * *

"I'm just making an observation," Yukari said cheekily.

"That's not just an observation," Reimu retorted, "You know something, you always do. I want to know what."

"Ask Suwako," The gap youkai said, "She has more answers than I in the field of godslaying."

"And where's she?" Mokou asked.

"At the shrine, fighting the mishaguji," Kanako answered as she made her way over with Sanae in tow, "She covered our escape."

"So you just left her there alone?" Reimu asked.

"Not alone," The wind goddess said as she turned to Yukari, "Now would be a good time to get her back, Yukari."

"But of course," The blonde youkai responded as she conjured a gap with a casual wave of her hand.

Then something nearly killed the eardrums of everyone present. Their ears were ringing, some were screaming, and nobody could hear a thing. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and the wind began to pick up.

"What's happening?!" Reimu shouted, but nobody could hear her. _She_ couldn't hear her.

* * *

"Suika! Catch!" Suwako threw the serpent at the oni with all of her might, who was waiting to execute something a little theatric.

Suika reared her fist back as the mishaguji drew closer, "Tag!" She shouted, punching the curse god into the ground, causing the earth to buckle and shatter from the impact, "You're it!" Both girls paused to observe the broken body slowly mend itself. All around them, the mishaguij struggled to recover, just as exhausted as their opponents. Just then a gap opened up in front of the shrine, "That our ticket out?" Suika asked.

"That's it!" Suwako turned to leave, only to spot something curious happening in the country below. The air was distorting in some kind of radial bubble looking thing. If she had to put a name to it, she'd probably call it a shockwa- "Suika! Cover your ears!"

Without thinking the oni complied, and was immediately thankful for it. A colossal boom rocked the mountain to the core, it rang with an ungodly rage and malice, making the very earth tremble with its terrible voice. All around them, hundreds of mishaguji appeared, bellowing back in retort to the explosion. Some slithered down the mountain, some took a moment to answer the call longer than others, but eventually, all of the curse gods within view turned to mist and dispersed, "What the hell was that?!" Suika shouted, ears ringing like there was no tomorrow.

"_Something awful,_" Suwako muttered, "_I know that voice._"

"What?!" Suika shouted in response.

"We need to leave!" The mountain goddess gestured to the gap, "Now! In less than an hour this place will be swarming with mishaguji!"

* * *

The source of the terrible roar panted madly as it gazed between its enemies. One had collapsed, two had fallen to their knees, clutching their ears, and the others stood. One thing in common though, all their ears were bleeding.

"Is everyone okay?!" Komachi shouted to anyone who could hear. Unfortunately, she couldn't even hear herself think. All she could do was clutch her bloody ears in a futile attempt to make the ringing stop. The shinigami turned to the others present. Sakuya had passed out, Remilia and Flandre were on their knees from the shock, but thankfully Patchouli and Meiling still stood, albeit clearly shaken.

"Was that it?!" Meiling challenged the devil-spider, "Was that your big trick?!" The Chinawoman was answered by a low mist that suddenly crept over the brick wall and into the area, all of it collecting around the Hoshoku's feet. Several serpents emerged from the fog, slithering up the Hoshoku's body, halting at random spots. Then they collectively sank their teeth into the devil-spider, eating their way inside of it. More and more serpents emerged, all worming their way inside the demon's body in a most gruesome act. The Hoshoku's sounds of agony, thankfully, were beyond the hearing of anyone nearby. It twitched and convulsed as the serpents wormed around beneath its black flesh and armor, only to be joined by more and more of them. The fog began to thin with the more white serpents that invaded the Hoshoku's body.

Eventually the mist faded entirely, and the black beast's flesh warped as thousands of snakes wriggled around beneath its flesh. The demon's luminous eyes and wounds faded as its body fell limp, although it still managed to stand.

Patchouli and Meiling exchanged worried glances at the sight.

The Hoshoku let out a low rumble as its body slowly began to re-illuminate, what was once a soft azure, was now a raging red, the color of the eyes of the serpents that had invaded its body. Six bladed limbs messily burst from its body, perfect replicas of the ones that Komachi had used her well-thought-out strategy to remove. The Hoshoku's bladed limbs sank into its body for protection while it raised both hands before it, the parasites beneath its skin worming their way up the monster's arms. The devil-spider flung its arms outward, and erupting from each palm was a long white tendril.

Komachi gripped her scythe tightly, trying her best to ignore the terrible pain and ringing. The Hoshoku just did something horrible, and she knew everyone present was about to find out what the devil-spider was truly capable of.

* * *

_I don't even have anything to say right now... except that this was _way_ too much fun to write..._

_And that I nearly died trying to make everything remotely coalesce. Next time we meet, I don't think everything will be so chaotic._


End file.
